Ambivalence
by Nalei
Summary: Konohagakure turns on Uzushiogakure during the Third Shinobi World War, deeming them as a threat because of their formidable fūinjutsu. Kushina, a young, newly promoted captain of a dropout scouting squad due to the shortage of war potential, is captured by a certain blond deep within enemy territory. And if it wasn't bad enough already - she's falling for this idiot!
1. The Captor And The Captive

**A different take on Minato and Kushina's story - It's a bit different. In fact, A LOT different. Like, A LOT LOT LOT different. But still not that different.**

**Kushina's age is slightly modified.  
**

**Minato's age is slightly modified.**

**I am a robot.**

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**During the Third Shinobi World War, Konohagakure turned on their old ally Uzushiogakure, deeming them as a threat because of their formidable fūinjutsu. Although they are vastly outnumbered, Uzushiogakure refuse to surrender. **

**Kushina, a young, newly promoted captain of a dropout scouting squad due to the shortage of war potential, is captured by a certain blond deep within enemy territory. And if it wasn't bad enough already, she would just have to fall for this idiot, wouldn't she?  
**

**Her fight for survival begins now.**

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She was cornered on all sides with no possible means to escape. There was nothing she could use to her advantage, and yet the determination that flowed through her made her blood boil like a foolhardy child. There was no way that _Uzumaki_ Kushina would go down without a fight.

The small contingent of Konoha shinobi circled around her, regarding her movements evenly. She glanced over her shoulder, looking for an opening or something in her surroundings that could potentially put the battle in her favor.

They were standing in an open area in the midst of the damp forest, surrounded by nothing but thick, giant trees whose overgrown canopies shielded its content from the harsh sunlight; although the heat from the overbearing sun somehow managed to find its way in. Small beads of sweat sprung up on her forehead, and her stomach quivered. The heat of the forest only proved to intensify the horrible swamp odor that permeated the air, thus increasing her bout of nausea.

Kushina bit her bottom lip in frustration as she pulled aside strands of her crimson hair. Despite having her hair tied in a high ponytail, a few strands still framed the sides of her fair-skinned face.

She narrowed her eyes at the man wielding a katana to her left; he was a bit on the chubby side. Not excessively, but enough to convince her that he was less flexible than his companions.

At this point, her only chance would be the element of surprise. Especially since the most logical choice would be to raise her hands in defeat and surrender. However, she had never really liked the idea of acting on logic, so this new plan suited her well.

Then a thought struck her mind. Even if she managed to best one or even two of them, the remaining ones would be stupid not to jump her straight away. How could she possibly fend off six enemies at the same time? Not to mention that most of them seemed to be twice her size.

_That's just impossible, there's no way I can..._

Kushina clenched her fists. _No! I can't - no, I won't let it end here_, she thought. Thrusting away her anxiety, she once again reminded herself of her resolve. Her eyes brightened once again with determination.

_I won't go down without a fight._

She exploded toward the shinobi on her left; the chubby one. Her legs were springs as she delivered a sharp kick to his stomach. He wasn't ready for her sudden assault, and his body was not lithe enough to avoid it either; thus, the blow bowled him over, making him drop his katana in the grass.

Kushina pivoted as she prepared to deflect the next attack from a black-haired man that towered over her. She avoided his massive fist and came up on his side with a devastating blow to his ribs, then proceeded to knee him in the gut. The man gasped out in pain as he fell to the ground.

Another one appeared out of nowhere from behind and grabbed her around the shoulders. As she turned her gaze, she met his strained eyes that glowered right into her own. She twisted her body and managed to kick him in the groin. Then, as he loosened his grip and crumpled forward like a piece of paper withering from the heat of flame, she delivered a straight forward kick that sent him flying.

A fourth man attempted to grab her around the neck. She elbowed him in his gut, turned around and gave him two swift punches to his stomach, then bestowed a solid back knuckle strike to his nose. She finished him off with another solid knife kick aimed at his chest to remember her by.

_Well, this was unexpectedly easy_, she thought, panting lightly.

She paused for a brief second to catch her breath, then glanced over at the remaining two shinobi. They had yet to move from their original position a few feet away, merely regarding the scene before them. One of them was rather tall, had short, dark brown hair and a crescent shaped scar on his right cheek. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha-nin uniform along with the flak jacket, though he had his sleeves rolled up.

The other one had spiky, blond hair with jaw-length bangs framing either side of his fair-skinned face. He was also fairly tall and wore the same attire as the rest, though his relaxed posture made him stand out. There was something special about him, and it wasn't just the fact that he looked to be around her age, perhaps two or three years older.

It was the way in which he observed her; that's what made him seem so different from his comrades. Unlike the angry expressions the other men had when she bested them, his eyes seemed... interested, almost admiring. Either way, it annoyed the living hell out of her.

She glared at the blond-haired guy, tightening her jaw. He returned her gaze with an incredulous look, following her movements with his almond-shaped, azure eyes. As Kushina let her hand slip into the pouch on her left thigh, he cast a glance at his companion.

The man with dark brown hair folded his arms. "Get her, Minato," he commanded. From the tone in his voice, one could deduce that he was the captain of their squad. That and the irritatingly smug expression that was plastered to his war-hardened face; Kushina wanted nothing more than the satisfaction of wiping that look from his face.

Minato nodded as he started walking toward her; the sound of rustling leaves under his feet finally breaking the indwelling silence.

But something was not right, and it bothered her. Why were they so keen on sending out their men one by one? Why did they refrain from using any high-level ninjutsu? Were they just playing around or what?

Her stomach dropped as she realized what was happening.

They weren't trying to kill her.

Still, it made little sense. If they came at her all at once, they should've been able to overwhelm her. At least that's what she thought.

Engulfed in her speculations, she failed to notice when Minato blasted off at a speed she could barely perceive. Breaking free from her momentary stupor, Kushina pulled out a kunai and held her arms up in a high guard position.

As she was about to lunge at him, four strong arms wrapped around her upper body. She glanced over her shoulder and to her dismay, the men she had fought off before had already recovered. The rest happened too fast. They twisted her arm, causing her to yelp in pain, dropping her kunai. At the same time, the third man slammed his shin into her ankle and she fell backwards to the ground.

Before she even had the chance to react, Minato's forearm was crushing against her throat. And then it was all over.

More sweat had beaded on her forehead. Her dark, violet eyes widened, staring upward at the blazing sun in the middle of the sky. She was panting to the extent that her lungs were burning, shaken by her sudden defeat.

Minato leaned in closer as his gaze met hers. His eyes were cold, bordering on almost lifeless. Her eyes glowered at him with disdain. She could feel his warm breath caressing her skin, though it disgusted her. The admiring look on his face was gone, as if it had been erased the moment he was ordered to fight.

Minato stood up and nodded at the rest of the men who hauled Kushina to her feet, removing her shuriken holster. She growled at them ferociously, trying to wrench her arms out of their grasp. But to no avail, the men held her down in spite of her determined resistance.

For the first time, the captain stepped forward with a victorious grin formed on his lips. Kushina was annoyed by this, jerking her forearms, twisting her wrists and hands while trying to avoid the ropes the men attempted to bind her with.

She inhaled sharply through her nose and stopped wiggling, listening to the grunts coming from the men who tightened her bindings with vicious tugs. More rope was wrapped around her upper body as a finishing touch, rendering her arms useless as they were forced closer to her slender body.

The captain stopped right in front of her. The sharp contours on his face as well as his deep scar revealed his cold facade. He sneered at her with contemptuous eyes and cupped her chin.

"Done running, are we?" he said, alluding to her bindings.

Kushina scowled, glowering at him with a menacing look. Although her eyes blazed, she was convinced that she had embarrassed these men; and they were taking their revenge. She would just have to endure their mockery.

"Good, I was afraid you'd stumble and hurt yourself," he scoffed.

She winced as he put his hand on her back and gave her a shove which caused her to lose her balance and fall, face first, onto the ground. Laughter ensued.

She struggled against her bonds, trying to break out of the ropes with sheer strength; all while the men made jeering remarks at her expense.

Everyone except Minato. He had yet to utter a single word.

She turned her head to the side and noticed him staring at her with a deep expression of guilt; his face pale.

Minato hurried over and helped Kushina to her feet with firm, strong hands. However, she jerked away from his touch, giving him a haughty look and an ungrateful snort in return. He stared at her with what looked like a hurt expression, then hardened his jaw and turned away.

She had just regained her stance as the captain's hand came whistling out and struck her across the face, hard, without any regard to her shaky state. Her body tensed as she was about to fall over again, when he grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up effortlessly with one arm, as if she literally weighed nothing.

His armpits reeked of an unfamiliar odor; however, at first smell she was convinced he'd spent far too much time in the forest. Needless to say, it was a putrid smell, close to suffocating.

He grinned at her again, revealing that he was, in fact, missing two teeth. And if she ever got rid of these ropes, she vowed that she would increase that number by at least two more.

"Well, aren't you an ungrateful one?" he said, as he glanced over at Minato. "Shouldn't you be _thanking_ the one who helped you, girl?"

She frowned at the condescending tone in his voice, with anger stirring in her body, and glanced down at her feet. They were the only parts of her body that could still move, and she was going to take advantage of that.

She focused, gathering all her strength to her feet and slammed them up between his legs. He shrieked out in utter pain, reaching down for his family jewels. As much as she enjoyed seeing him in that pathetic, crouched state, this was an opportunity for her to restore her pride.

Free from his grasp, Kushina quickly recovered as she was dropped, and in a flowing motion she twisted her body sideways and delivered a heavy kick to his face which sent him flying a short distance. Now it was her time to put on a victorious grin.

The very next second, she was being held down; her face pressed against the ground by reckless hands.

She grunted and threw deadly glares at the men who had pinned her down. From the wary looks on their faces, she was convinced that her very presence made them uncomfortable, as if they were dealing with a venomous snake.

"Why you little... _brat_!" the captain growled as he motioned with his hand for his subordinates to step back.

He yanked her up by her hair. Despite the growing pain that flared from her scalp, Kushina stopped the screams from leaving her throat. She would not give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. Not a chance.

She smiled at the trickle of red liquid coming out of his nose where she had hit him, and it infuriated him. His hands were shaking with unabashed fury, as if he would explode at any second, and this did not go unnoticed.

When his face came closer to hers, Kushina's smile quickly turned into a glare as she snapped her head up and spat him right in the face.

He burst out in rage, albeit not completely unexpected, and raised his fist as he prepared a massive smash into her face. However, she had already seen this coming as her body tensed, eyes squeezed shut - turned her head to the side and flinched, knowing that the blow might knock her unconscious.

Minato's hand raced at lightning speed across the distance and caught the captain's wrist just before it hit her.

"That's enough, Jirou," Minato scolded with a stern voice. "We were _not_ ordered to bring back a half-dead prisoner."

Jirou looked up with a startled expression, though it turned into a frown as he snorted at Minato and strode off.

_Did he just... protect me?_

She peered incredulously at Minato, but he never returned her gaze. A light shove from behind forced her to stumble forward . She turned her head and hissed at the man, leaving him with an apologetic look.

Two of the men positioned themselves on either side of her - the chubby one to her right - and made sure she kept walking in the right direction. A rope was tied around her neck like a leash. Thus, they guided her, none too gently, with pushes and tugs; something that didn't amuse her in the slightest.

Kushina glanced up and studied the position of the sun overhead; it was way past noon already. For once, the heat was bearable as it warmed her aching wrists and shoulders.

She stared down, first at her feet as she walked, then at her midriff. Her old gash had congealed, it seemed, though she still felt pain flare through her body whenever something rubbed against it. But with her hands bound behind her back, there was really nothing she could do about it.

So it didn't take long until she let her thoughts drift off elsewhere - her eyes filled with concern for her subordinates.

_I wonder what has happened to the rest of my squad... Did they get away?_

_Teru, Kiren, Yanagi, Botan, Rengaku..._

Kushina was anxious to say the least. Without her, they were just a bunch of unorganized kids.

The youngest one, Kiren, he was merely seven years old. She remembered the terrified look in his eyes the day he was assigned to her squad by the leaders. That day, she had promised that nothing would happen to him; she would protect him no matter what. He had asked if she really meant it, with tears in his voice.

"Of course," she had replied with her usual brilliant smile. "Leave it to me."

And look at her now.

The rest of her squad consisted of a bundle of young, untalented, dropout shinobi who were too incompetent to be on the battlefield. They had been assembled by the leaders and she had been appointed the title of captain, but she was not foolish enough to believe it.

The title had no meaning itself; it had merely been given to her to make her feel more useful. It only served one purpose: To force more responsibility onto her shoulders. "Keep an eye on these kids," they said, "maybe they can do something right."

Of course she had complained to the leaders, saying that she didn't need their help - that she would be better off on her own. They would just slow her down. Even though she felt her heart compress as she spoke those words. But she was only doing what she thought was right, and her squad never blamed her for that.

Even so, she was still their friend. And she knew that they would never abandon a friend.

Thus, she feared that they would come back and try to rescue her. No matter how many times she reminded them that they shouldn't, the moment just before they were separated from each other. That was the one thing that wouldn't get into their thick heads. _Damn it._

_They need to get the information back to headquarters_. She bit her lip, engulfed by her thoughts.

_Please... just leave me behind and carry on with the mission_, she pleaded fervently; _please... don't do anything stupid. Don't let my sacrifice be for nothing._

As they traveled, she took every opportunity to snarl at her captors, and bare her teeth as they tugged on the rope around her neck. She hissed at them whenever they prodded her to walk faster, especially at the chubby one. Out of all of them, he seemed to be the weakest.

The men had grown so fed up with her belligerent attitude; they never realized the fear she was so desperately concealing.

By now, she had long since given up all hope of escaping.

She lost track of time as hunger and fatigue took its toll. However, she was sure that they had been walking for quite a while, perhaps an hour or two... maybe more. The gentle and bright shimmer of a setting sun embraced her as the group crested a small hill, sparsely surrounded by trees.

Peering down the narrow valley, Kushina's stomach dropped as she sighted the far side, littered with tents. It was a large encampment containing more than two or three dozen tents. Most certainly the Konohagakure's main base in Hi no Kuni's north-east border.

The place was crowded with Konoha shinobi. It was the same encampment that she and her squad had discovered when they were searching for enemy movements. And that's where they were heading now.

She forced back the part of her that wanted to sit down and cry, and pressed her lips together defiantly. For a moment she regretted her truculent behavior. Now there was no way they would spare her a quick death when they were done with her, especially in the hands of Jirou.

Fear was running riot through her body. She trembled, eyes widening; her face pale and bloodless, as if extremely frightened.

She could not even imagine what kind of gruesome treatment was waiting for her; she didn't want to know. Glistening tears formed in her dark eyes, but were pressed back.

Kushina was just about to dig in her heels when Minato came up and patted her on the shoulder. He had noticed her terrified expression.

She squinted at him and he gave her a reassuring look.

"Walk and you will be fine," Minato whispered. "Run away and you will die."

She gave him a meek nod and descended into the valley.

To her newfound captivity.

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**Thanks for taking the time to read.**

**At first, I was reluctant whether to write a fanfiction or not. But hey, you know what they say: Never say never! **

**Okay, now I will go and shoot my fine self for referring to a _certain_ song.**

**And if you have a problem with me disliking a _certain_ singer, feel free to drop your hatred in a review.**

**Well then, until next time.**


	2. I'm Scared

As they pushed her through the encampment, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Prying eyes followed her, burning little holes into her back with their strong feelings of distrust and hatred.

"Why? I haven't done them anything..." Kushina grumbled under her breath.

Konoha was a powerful nation; however, none would stand victorious in this war without a vast amount of casualties. Like every other nation, Konoha had a shortage of war potential. And as a result, young children were thrown into the chaotic battlefield, thus ending their short lives. An experience that parents should never have to live is the pain of burying their sons and daughters. It was only natural that little compassion was spared to prisoners of war.

Her captors had started speaking in lighter tones to one another. They seemed heartened after reaching their encampment, having returned with no causalities and their prisoner in hand. Kushina, on the other hand, wasn't as pleased. However, the overwhelming feeling of despondency had stopped tormenting her mind. Giving up now would make her lose every bit of pride she still had left. She would see this through.

As they wandered, she gazed at her surroundings, calculatingly. The whole camp reeked of a mixture of piss, sweat and blood. She wasn't surprised that there were only a few kunoichi in the camp, thought they didn't seem to mind the foul smell at all. It was probably something everyone got used to, sooner or later.

She could hear loud cries coming from what she presumed was the medical tent. She could only imagine the people within the tent, writhing in agony, drawing last breaths, screaming, crying, and suffering. War didn't have favorites, and death affected everyone, changing lives in the worst kind of way.

The place was still concealed from the casual glance; thick trees on the rim sheltered it well. And the walls on the valley were steep; it would be impossible for a prisoner to escape from here without being seen. She grimaced, biting her lower lip, realizing that she wasn't going anywhere for a while.

She was being ushered hastily through the camp. Peering upwards, Kushina tried to see through the thick foliage, though she was convinced that it was close to sunset as the forest was getting darker.

Above the remaining field of tent canopies, she could make out a stark pillar stretching several feet up on the outskirts of the encampment. And she would bet her right hand that they were heading toward it.

Jirou glanced over at Minato. "I'll go get the captain,"

Kushina arched an eyebrow. An hour ago, she could've sworn that Jirou was the captain, but apparently her judgment had failed her again. Although she had questioned his position as a leader after his little outbreak in the forest. He seemed way too irascible to fit the title of captain.

Minato nodded in compliance and grabbed Kushina's arm - almost dragging her toward the pillar - accompanied by two of the men. If it weren't for his firm grasp, she would've had her face in the dirt.

Her bonds were cut off; her wrists were rubbed raw and stinging. The skin was now an angry red, sometimes seeping a bit blood out if she put pressure on it. Being tied up for such an extended amount of time was definitely not a pleasant experience, but she wasn't really expecting them to care for her comfort either. After all, she was their enemy.

They gave her some time to massage and relax her tender wrists, but never let their eyes wander from where she stood. She flexed her fingers, trying to circulate the blood pooled there from her previous binding.

Just when she was starting to get comfortable, Minato went up and shoved her forcibly; her back scraping against the pillar. Free from her bonds, a sudden urge to run away burst through her body, and she raised her fists in a hostile manner.

Minato's hand whipped out and latched onto her forearm, not far from her aching wrists. Her body tensed and she winced as his grip tightened, looking up with an uneasy expression, as if she hadn't meant to defy him.

Neither of them spoke, but Kushina realized Minato's intentions as she glanced down at the piece of rope in his hand. She gave a resigned sigh and held out her wrists. He frowned and directed her to put her hands behind her back and around the pillar. Kushina complied and Minato tied her hands together.

She was relieved to find that the thoughtful Minato bound her with care, avoiding tightening the ropes on the chaffed, raw areas on her wrists. In return, she didn't struggle - it was futile anyway.

Even if she managed to break free, where would she go? The place was literally swarming with enemies, and besides, she wouldn't be able to get past Minato; at least not in her current state. That was just plain and unavoidable fact, even from the prideful Kushina.

"Is she the one, Jirou?" Kushina could hear a commanding voice coming from behind her. His tone was brusque and brimming with contained power and authority.

She pushed the sudden rush of terror to the back of her mind, preparing herself to deal with the torture that seemed inevitable at this point. Her body tensed as he stood before her; his cold gaze staring into her dark, weary eyes. She turned her head to the side, trying to avoid his gaze. Even his strong presence alone left her with an eerie feeling.

"Yes, captain Sanada," Jirou said, oddly formal, "she's the one you requested alive."

Sanada reached out his hand, cupped Kushina's chin and lifted her face up; her crimson hair falling back. He fastened his gaze on Kushina for a long moment, noting the deep scratches, dark bruises and dirt that covered her face.

His prisoner was clothed in a tan, short-sleeved, high collared tunic with a dark embroidered border, black shorts and stockings. The clothes were dirty and torn, but they were still usable. A forehead protector with the symbol of Uzushiogakure was tied, loosely, around her waist.

Sanada glanced over at Minato who had been standing on the same spot next to the prisoner - completely silent. His eyes were once again glimmering with a hint of remorse.

Sanada nodded at Minato and the men behind him. "Dismissed."

As he was about to leave, Minato turned his head and peered at Kushina; the same expression of guilt appearing on his face. It was sympathetic, even.

She pursed her lips and snorted at him

_Why is he looking at me like that_? She wondered.

As soon as they had left, Sanada's gaze shifted back to Kushina.

He did look stern, but not cruel like Jirou. They were both grown men, though Sanada seemed to be older than the average shinobi while Jirou looked a bit younger. He had dark, shoulder-length hair in an asymmetrical style with a single bang falling across his left eye. His face was constantly plastered with a smirk that shone with irritatingly high levels of self-conceit. Or was it confidence? She couldn't really tell them apart.

"What's your name, girl?" Sanada asked.

She scowled at the man, closing her mouth shut.

Sanada folded his arms and nodded at Jirou, whose face brightened and a sneer formed on his lips. He stepped forward and slammed his fist into her stomach, hard, snickering as he watched her fight for air.

"Be a good girl and tell us your name," he said in a tantalizing manner. "We might even reward you with a piece of bread afterwards. Of course, that depends on whether or not you're willing to cooperate."

Kushina's head snapped up, flashing a big grin as she spat Jirou right in the face for the second time that day. "Screw you."

"Why you _impudent_ little—"

Jirou raised his fist, as he noticed the rigorous look Sanada shot him. He lowered his fist and wiped off his face. Not wanting to lose his calm and collected self in front of the captain, a faint smile appeared on his lips, though he was in fact shaking with anger. He suppressed the part of him that wanted to just rip this girl's head off this instant. But then, a sadistic sneer lit up his face, as if a malicious thought had struck his mind.

"On the other hand, we could resort to more... drastic measures," he said in a dangerous tone as he pulled out a kunai and held it close to her delicate fingers.

Kushina gulped, viciously trying to jerk her hands away from his grasp, but he held them together with a vice-like grip. She shuddered as she felt the cold steel pressing against her skin. Her eyes closed, bracing her senses to resist the burst of pain that was about to hit her.

"Stop it, Jirou," Sanada ordered.

Jirou winced, turned his head and looked at Sanada.

"What? But why, captain Sanada? This one won't speak unless—"

"Did you forget that all of our medical shinobi were redistributed to the north-west border due to Iwagakure's increased aggression?" Sanada interrupted. "If she gets an infection, should I entrust her to you then?

Kushina peered at the captain, wondering where the sudden concern for her well-being came from.

However, this situation turned out to be disconcerting to say the least. Why would he speak of such valuable information right in front of an enemy? She might be their prisoner, but if she somehow managed to escape, that kind of intelligence could definitely be used against them. This meant that they would most likely kill her as soon as they got the information they wanted. She would be too valuable to lose into enemy hands. That's what she thought.

But then why would he care whether she got an infection or not in the first place? He could not even be sure that she held any useful information at all. A risk for sure; a calculated risk?

Although his concern gave her a slight hint that he wanted to keep her alive either way.

_I don't understand..._

Could it perhaps have been a mistake on his part?

Her vision was blurry and her mind was in shambles. She hadn't eaten for about two days now. The hunger was not unbearable, but she could still feel her body getting weaker. Her head was dropping lower, trying valiantly to keep itself up.

The two men were still arguing, even while she had been engulfed by her thoughts and nearly inescapable fatigue. She hadn't really been following their conversation; all she knew was that Jirou's reddening face pleased her. A lot. Ever since the captain had been around, Jirou had only made himself look dumber.

"B-But! Captain!"

"Enough! I will hear no more from you," Sanada said. "You were about to do it for your own sake, not for information. Do you take me for a fool?"

Jirou tightened his jaw; his hands were clenched and sweating.

"_Go_," Sanada said, his tone grew more stern, "I'll deal with you later."

Jirou bristled with concealed anger at his captain. He narrowed his eyes and glowered at Kushina, which she answered with a sneer. Then he turned around and stormed off.

Sanada sighed. The exasperating ignorance of his subordinate had never failed to amaze him. In times like these, he even wondered how the brute could still be alive.

He turned to face Kushina once again. Staring into her wild eyes, he noticed that they were almost as dark as his own. The only difference was that his eyes were in control.

A moment of silence followed thereafter, and it stretched between them as they regarded each other. He started glowering at her with such ferocity that a burst of alarm went through her body, like the hunter had found its prey.

Sanada then turned on his heel and with slow steps, he started walking; each step making a crushing sound against the ground, as if he were walking on shards of broken glass.

Then he stopped, shifted his head and shot her a glare.

"I will return," Sanada said. "And when I do, you will speak. Even if I have to break every existing bone in your puny little body, one by one. You will speak."

She stiffened by the ruthless tone in his voice. As he kept walking further away, his words repeated themselves in her head over and over again. One by one; every little bone in her body. Broken.

Her face blanched, legs quivered. His eyes, they were not lying. She knew he was serious. She knew he would induce just the right amount of pain to make her talk if he had to, and still keep her alive. She knew that he would ignore her screams. This man was terrifying.

Sanada took note of Kushina's pale face, and the frames of her crimson hair that hung down like a curtain over her eyes. A triumphant smirk formed itself on his lips as he left her.

Kushina leaned back against the pillar for support, though she found it wasn't enough, even as her legs buckled under her. She slid to the ground soundlessly; her body trembled.

She didn't want this. She didn't want _any_ of this.

It was quiet, though it was not a complete silence. A few voices could be heard; they were dull, but they were still there. She wrapped herself in silence, forcing out every bit of sound in the air. Until nothing remained.

She was all alone again.

The courage she had summoned was slowly fading away; seeping out of her, all at once. The brave front she was putting on had been crushed. At this very moment, she was nothing more than a seventeen year old girl, dreaming of a swift, painless death. A limp pile at the base of the pole.

She peered up, catching a glimpse of the gleaming stars in the obsidian sky.

"Mom," she whispered, not bothering to hide the fear in her voice, as a single tear rolled down her cheek, sparkling for a moment. "Dad..."

Kushina bit her lip silently and squeezed her eyes shut, as more tears started to stream down her swollen cheeks.

"I'm scared..."


	3. The Descendant

Sanada stood hunched over a large but oddly shaped table. He scratched the back of his head, letting out a long drawn out sigh. His eyes narrowed at the spread out map on the table before him. Several wooden figures had been placed on various spots all over it, and to his dismay only a few of them - not even a quarter - had been positioned on the right side of the map.

He clenched his jaw and slammed his fist into the table, knocking down a few pieces in the process.

"Damn that senile old man!" he bellowed. "He expects us to stand our ground against Kumogakure while he relocates half of our forces?"

Another man entered the tent and Sanada twisted his gaze.

The man before him cleared his throat and stood upright. "Captain Sanada, one of our scouts has reported that a group of shinobi has been spotted near the Akashi bridge."

"How many?"

"It appears that there were no more than five of them, captain. All of them were really young as well, none older than twenty, I reckon."

"Then why did you even bother coming here?" Sanada said, his voice brimming with irritation.

The man gulped. "T-They were not Kumogakure shinobi, captain Sanada,"

Sanada looked up, as if the last words had caught his interest.

"Then which village were they from?"

"We have good reasons to believe that they were shinobi of Uzushiogakure, captain."

"How so?" Sanada was quick to inquire.

"One of them wore the flak jacket from the old days."

A faint smirk tugged at Sanada's lips. "Interesting..."

He turned his back again, facing the map, lifting up his hand as if to give a command.

"You will head to Konoha and report our current status, casualties, enemy aggression - you know the drill. If you show them exactly what kind of shit we're in, perhaps they'll even consider sending us reinforcements," he said, adding a brief paus to exhale before continuing. "And unless the old man is out playing at his war, inform him and the council that we have captured a descendant of the _Uzumaki_."

* * *

Kushina's fingers were numb. She could hardly even feel that they were still there. However, she was still thankful that Minato hadn't made her bonds too uncomfortable; they didn't cut off the blood flow to her wrists. If he had tied her any looser, she would've easily been able to wriggle herself out of the ropes in no time.

It wasn't that she despised Minato; he had shown more sympathy than anyone else in this camp when he tied her up. And she was grateful for that - to a certain extent. It was the thought of being indebted to an enemy that bothered her the most. She didn't want to believe that Minato did all this out of his own benignity; there was something suspicious about his behavior. Especially after she had met his eyes in the forest, cold, and filled with killing intent - a truly murderous gaze. Perhaps he wanted her to let her guard down? But for what reason?

The entire camp was sleeping. Nothing but the hoots from an owl sitting in a nearby tree could be heard. And even though Kushina was dead tired - her eyelids heavy as weights - she couldn't seem to fall asleep; too many thoughts kept her awake. A chilly breeze swept through and the sound of rustling leaves brought Kushina back to her senses. She heard footsteps coming toward her, but she kept her head down; her long, crimson hair curtaining her features. Whoever it was would not be given the pleasure of seeing her battered face, littered with cuts and bruises. In all honesty, she wasn't even sure if she had the strength to even raise her head. If they didn't feed her soon, and tend to her wounds properly, she was sure to collapse from fatigue during the following hour.

"Look at me," a familiar voice said with a slight annoyance in his tone.

She ignored him, not moving a single muscle.

The man hissed, "I said look at me!" He yanked her hair, dragging Kushina to her feet and forced her strained eyes into his own.

Jirou.

"You think I'd forget how you humiliated me in front of my squad, the captain, huh!?"

His breath was reeking of the distinct smell of alcohol. She had never tasted it, but once in a while her father would come home after a night out with his friends. And his breath smelled exactly the same.

He grabbed her by the collar and kneed her in the gut. Pain flared through her body; the gash along her midriff broke open when she cringed. Blood oozed out from the wound, saturating her tunic. But Kushina didn't seem to fully understand the gravity of her injury - she just winced due to the growing pain.

His hand let go of her. She slumped against the pole, dropping to her knees.

Any other day she would gladly shower him with snide comments on his looks - especially his teeth - even his mother. Now, however, she would have to reserve the last bit of strength she had. Being half delirious from a fresh beating, she would be more likely to blab during an interrogation.

"Please," she pleaded. "Please leave me alone..."

Jirou couldn't help but muster a sadistic sneer as he listened to Kushina's soft and slightly submissive voice. His face lit up with malicious glee. Seeing her in this state satiated his ego. It was almost too perfect.

"Please..." Kushina whimpered. Her voice was quiet, almost like a whisper.

Jirou was shaking out of joy. His face showed contentment but he wasn't finished just yet. A sudden burst of adrenaline rushed through his veins; her meek cries egging him on. He clenched his fists and started kicking her in the stomach, snickering as the girl started coughing up blood after each and every hit. Hard.

Kushina sucked in as much air as she could find and tensed her body, resisting the urge to vomit up what little food she had consumed.

Jirou wanted to see her gasp in pain; he wanted more. He wasn't satisfied until he could hear her screams reverberate through the entire forest. The sheer thought of it filled him with an overwhelming sensation of euphoria.

"Do you think I'll let you off that easily?!" he cackled as he kept swinging his feet at her.

Kushina knew this was the end. Perhaps if she had not concealed her previous wounds behind a mask of ill-tempered actions and her hostile attitude, she would've lived. If she didn't suppress her fatigue, then maybe. But now, her death seemed inevitable. She was about to lose her consciousness; she had lost too much blood. And then it would all be over.

The sharp pain inflicted to her stomach alleviated.

Kushina's strained eyes fought to bring themselves up to see what had happened. The effort she put in it was enhanced by her instincts, screaming at her to _live_.

Jirou had stopped, as if he'd been petrified. He wasn't facing her anymore. Instead, he had turned his body around and was now shivering; his face blanched.

Although Kushina was too weak to lift her head up, her eyes could make out the contours of a man, hiding in the shadows.

Her vision was blurry, but she was still trying to focus on the scene in front of her. They stood still, not uttering a single word. That's when the first name came to her.

_Minato...?_

Kushina drifted away from reality. Her eyes rolled up in her head, the whites showing and her vision was devoured by darkness.

* * *

**Dear Mr. guest There's not much info regarding Kushina's skills.**

**Her chakra chains are supposedly used to restrain physical targets, and her being able to use them while near death to restrain a bijū may indicate that they don't require much chakra/stamina at all. Either that or, of course, that she's pushing herself to the limits. **

**If the chakra chains can actually restrain physical things, can they destroy them as well? I'm talking about trees, for instance. If she had the ability to summon huge ass chains to flail around with, effortlessly, I reckon Kushina would be a beast/destroyer of worlds. As far as I'm concerned, there is no info about that. And probably never will be.**

**Or she could use them like Dr. Octopus from the spiderman movie lol. That would be kinda awesome.**


	4. I Will Never Forget

Kushina could hear voices. No, it was a lone voice, but it echoed deep inside of her; it was calling for her. She was surrounded by a blinding light, not knowing whether she was alive or not. From the bright nothingness that engulfed her vision, a hand appeared and it beckoned her to follow.

Kushina started running. She ran as fast as she could, reaching out her hands, but didn't seem to get closer to it - the distance didn't even close in. Exhausted, she dropped to her knees. Her breathing grew more heavy and she clutched her head. The voice got louder, disturbingly so. Her head throbbed from the echoing noise around her as it kept increasing.

Midday.

Her eyes fluttered open. She was drenched in sweat. As she tried to sit up, she felt pain lancing down her side and chest, causing her to let out a grunt and drop back down. Glancing at her new surroundings, it seemed that they had brought her to a tent - and a large one at that. The far side was crowded with crates and she was quick to deduce that this was where they kept their provisions.

What surprised her was that she felt quite clear-headed even after passing out from exposure and heavy blood loss; her hunger was nowhere to be found.

"Are you feeling better?" a sudden voice startled her.

Kushina looked up again and noticed that she had, in fact, missed that someone was seated on a crate a scant distance away. She tensed at his approach, glaring at him with fierce eyes. He stopped, and once again displayed that dismayed, hurt-filled expression. Minato.

"I'm unarmed, I swear. I do not wish to harm you," he said, raising his hands. "Don't injure yourself further, I beg you." He said it with such authority that she cracked a faint smile.

She narrowed her eyes, shooting him an incredulous look. "Does it matter? One of your men will surely cut my throat as soon as he gets the chance anyway."

"If you're thinking of the man named Jirou, he has been relocated to a different war front. The captain's decision," he said, before handing her a mug of water. "Here, you must be thirsty."

This made her feel somewhat relieved, knowing that Jirou was no longer here would at least let her rest without the fear of being strangled in her sleep. However, she was still not convinced.

She accepted the mug and inspected its content with a suspicious expression, as if it was poison, then took a few sips to confirm its purity. It wasn't poison.

After she had gulped the last bit of water, her eyes once again redirected themselves to Minato.

"So you're the one who saved me?" she blurted, then cursed at herself inwardly for her stupid choice of words.

Minato seemed heartened, but he remained silent for a moment - until he noticed Kushina staring at him with impatient eyes.

"No, it wasn't me. It was the captain who found you."

"The captain?" she asked with a puzzled look.

He merely nodded as a response, then glanced down at her chest. "Your wound. I smeared a healing salve on it but it wasn't enough, it needed stitches," he said. "I'm sorry, but It's going to leave a bad scar."

Kushina shot him an irritated glare and pursed her lips. "Does it matter whether I have a scar there or not? It's not like I'll be alive for that much longer. I know what happens to prisoners of war when their captors are finished with them."

Minato's eyes widened as the girl tried to sit upright; a hand to her stomach.

"Hey!" he cried. "You shouldn't strain yourself. Lay back down."

"It's not my policy to address my enemies on my back." She grimaced as she accepted his help to ease her back down on the blanket. She slid a lazy gaze over to him. "And here I am talking to you."

Minato showed her a warm, gentle smile.

"The captain wants you alive. So as long as you are our prisoner, you're in safe hands. No matter how odd that may sound."

"Why am I being kept alive?"

"I don't know why the captain has spared you thus far. Whether it's for information or hostage leverage, I don't know," he murmured. "But the men are quite suspicious. Why you're still alive that is."

"Geez, so what has been flying around this camp about me?" she asked, sarcasm edging her voice.

"You're the captain's lover. You're the daughter of a daimyō. You're a red-haired demon in human form. Something along those lines," Minato answered

_This idiot is unbelievably honest_, Kushina thought.

She cupped her chin, snickering. "Well, the latter seems pretty accurate," she said. "But what do they think about his decision to keep me alive?"

Minato's eyes took on a more serious expression. "Our captain is a great man, worthy of all the respect he receives, and even I admire his stable policy of justice. The others are not happy with his decision, obviously, but they never question his judgment."

Kushina snorted. _Well, your 'respected' captain doesn't seem to have a problem with beating up young girls to force information out of them_.

"And what do you think? If you don't mind me asking."

He stiffened at her question, looking uncomfortable. His eyes couldn't bring themselves to meet hers."If I wasn't ordered to bring you back alive, you'd probably be dead already. That's all I can say for now." His voice was quite harsh, but somehow Kushina felt that he didn't really mean a single word of what he'd just said. She thrusted those thoughts away, immediately disregarding her fanciful subconscious. Her intuitions had never been known to be very accurate anyway.

She scowled, snorting at him as she turned her body around and pulled the rug that served as a blanket over her. But something felt odd; she wasn't wearing her usual clothing. Now she was wearing dark green, long-sleeved shirt that reached down to her knees. How could she have failed to notice this?

Her eyes blazed.

She realized the fabric wrapped all the way up to her armpits and ran her hand over the cloth that covered her chest and midriff. The bandages hugged her lithe form and concealed most of her upper body with the exception of her arms.

Minato's face showed a sheepish expression. He seemed to have perceived her realization as he quickly stated, "The wound had to be cleaned out before the stitches. I had to take off your tunic - it was covered in blood and dirt. Don't worry, I... didn't look. Much."

At the age of seventeen, Kushina was still quite flat-chested. And even though she didn't really have much to be ashamed of, she couldn't help that her face flushed - an embarrassed blush tinted her cheeks.

But her embarrassment turned into outright anger as she glowered at him.

"If you so much as lay your hand on me again, I swear I'll rip out your eyeballs," she said. "And you'll probably never reproduce."

Minato gulped.

"_Ever_."

* * *

Nightfall.

A dark, tall figure brushed into the tent and shot his gaze at Kushina, wrapped up in her blanket on the floor. She sat up, giving him stare for stare with her dark, oval eyes.

"I see that the prisoner is awake," he said.

Minato leapt to his feet. "Yes, captain Sanada."

"And her condition is?" Sanada inquired.

"Improved, captain. She seems to be recuperating at a very fast rate, considering the fever that set in as a consequence of her injuries, blood loss, infections and dehydration."

"Good," Sanada said, as he walked over to his prisoner who was still regarding him.

"I have some questions for you. And I expect them to be answered by the time I leave," he said, as stern as ever, before glancing back at Minato. "Bind her."

"Captain, I don't think she will—"

"I said, _bind_ her."

Minato looked down at the girl who simply shrugged.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll live."

She put her hands behind her back and soon felt the familiar feeling of rope being wrapped around her wrists and upper body. The rope was tied tighter than before and she winced when it cut into her dried scabs, letting out an unpleasant groan. Minato gave her an apologetic look, but she ignored it.

"So, let's try again," Sanada started. "What's your name?"

_Why is he so hell-bent on knowing my name_, she wondered. _It's not like he'll remember it_.

"Kushina," she answered. At first, she had considered throwing out a fake name but she figured that might backfire later on. Additionally, she didn't have valid reason to hide her identity. It's not like she was famous.

"Good, now listen, Kushina. I will do the questioning and you the answering," he demanded. "Every time you give me an answer I don't like, I will break one of your fingers."

Kushina's entire body tensed at his cold tone. She bit her lower lip, trying to maintain her focus. His voice was terrifying and she even had a hard time trying to utter just a few words in response. Was this really the man who had saved her life just recently? She didn't want to believe it.

She nodded.

"Captain Sanada, those measures aren't necessary. Surely we have a genjutsu user better suited for this interrogation?" Minato tried to interrupt.

Sanada looked at Minato and sighed.

"Right now, we don't even have any medical-nin in this camp, let alone a skilled genjutsu user," he responded, a slight annoyance in his tone. "Why do you think I let you run around freely, playing doctor?"

He once again fastened his eyes on Kushina. "What was your objective when you crossed the border?"

"To obtain information about the enemy's location and movements, what else? I'm a scout. That's my sole purpose," Kushina said, trying to sound bold despite the fact that her voice was shaking.

"A scout who excels in hand to hand combat?" Sanada sounded skeptical.

"Doesn't hurt you."

Sanada let out a stifled laugh. "You've got guts, I give you that. Now, what if I asked you exactly what did you find out?"

Kushina hesitated, then shuddered as she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "I-I found your base camp, and I spotted your movements across the border to Yu no Kuni and—"

"You mean '_we_'," Sanada corrected.

She gulped. Her eyes went down to her knees. _They knew._ There was no point in trying to hide it anymore.

"Yes, me and my scouting group."

Sanada kneeled down and cupped the girl's chin, forcing her gaze into his own. "I don't appreciate dishonesty, be sure to remember that," he said, eyes flaring.

Kushina nodded; her face was pale, frightened. She wanted to jerk away from his touch, however, she couldn't find the strength nor the courage to do so.

"My subordinates should already be back in Uzushiogakure to report our discovery..."

"Really now?" He asked, a faint smirk plastered on his face.

"And when they do, you won't be able to keep up with this war on two fronts!" she hissed, sounding a tad more confident than before.

Sanada snickered and patted her on the head. "Little girl, what do you know about war?" He let go of her chin, stood up and turned around as he was about to leave. "Although I do hope your friends manage to make it all the way back to your puny little excuse for a village across the sea. It would be disastrous if they for some reason decided that they couldn't leave their beloved captain behind, wouldn't it? Just imagine the horrible outcome."

Kushina froze at his words. Her face blanched. _No... they wouldn't have_—

Sanada turned his gaze at Minato, right before leaving. "See to it that the prisoner is ready before dawn," he said. "We '_hunt_' in the morning."

* * *

They carried her through the forest. Kushina felt the sharp contours of a shoulder pressed against her stomach. At this point, the group had already traveled a good distance from their base camp, far enough for Kushina to lose her bearings. Although it would be difficult for her to take notes of her surroundings anyway; she was blindfolded.

But it mattered little that she couldn't tell in which direction they went. She was renowned for having an extremely lousy sense of direction, and jokes were centered on the irony of a scout that didn't know north from south. Of course, she defended herself, saying that she never wanted to be a scout in the first place. And then proceeded to beat up the person who made fun of her. Either way, the blindfold did not help much in that regard.

Sanada raised his hand, ordering the group to halt. As they arrived to the designated area, Kushina was sat down with her back against a tree, and the cloth over her eyes was removed. She looked up, squinting her eyes as she expected the sunlight to blind her. But it didn't. The thick foliage blocked the blazing sun, engulfing the forest with darkness. She glanced around at her surroundings, noticing the grassy open area that somehow seemed familiar.

_Wait... I have been here before._

A man stepped in front of her, grinning with contentment. The chubby one. As much as Kushina wanted to send him a token of gratitude straight from her mouth, little could be done about that. Her mouth was gagged, and she had a fair guess why. Seeing her silenced and trussed up, most of the men felt more comfortable being around her. Even though they still recognized her hostile attitude.

Kushina was out of her bonds in less than an hour. With her upper body still wrapped in rope she was, however, still able to move her hands somewhat freely. Minato had made her bindings rather loose this morning, much to her pleasance. But she kept her hands out of sight behind her back, watching her captors take their positions in the surrounding trees, concealing their presence. Two of the men remained on the ground, watching her.

Minutes went by, hours even. Kushina was sure that their trap had failed, as there were no signs of movement throughout the forest. And she hoped that her instincts were true this time. _Please_, she thought, _please..._

Then, as she looked up, her heart sank. They were standing on a large branch a distance away from her. So close yet so far. Teru, Kiren, Yanagi, Botan... Rengaku. Their features, their emotions, were terribly clear. Her scouting group.

Teru, the young man with dreams bigger than the world itself. Kiren, the youngest one in her squad, he who wanted nothing but peace. Yanagi the guy with the humor and a brilliant smile. Botan, the modest, sweet, caring girl who never left the village without her medical kit. Rengaku, the blind life enthusiast who always dipped the meat in salt instead of sauce. Her... friends.

"Kushina!" Kiren cried out, despair filled his eyes as he watched her crumpled form.

They all entered their battle positions as they each pulled out a kunai and held it up high.

"Alright guys, let's go get Kushina back!" Teru exclaimed, shooting his companions a reassuring glance as they all nodded.

Kushina's entire body was shaking. She didn't know whether it was out of fear or frustration, knowing that she was incapable of doing anything to help them. But it was not too late, she still had a chance to save them.

"What the hell are you doing!? Get away from here, now!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, lurching to her feet, tearing the gag from her mouth. "It's a trap, you idiots! What are you waiting for? Run! They'll kill you all!" She stumbled forward, knowing she would be struck if she looked back. Like rabbits, she could see the startled fear in their eyes, then bravely they brushed it aside and charged.

They were met by a rain of kunai as the Konoha shinobi flew out one by one from their hiding spots. The ambush divided her from her comrades, but she battled towards them anyway, running, crying, screaming. A man came charging toward her, with his arms flailing in the air. She shifted her body, barely evading the man, and delivered three consecutive kicks aimed at his torso, stealing one of his kunai in the process. She cut off the remaining rope that restrained her upper body. But it was too late.

She was too far away to do anything, as she watched them get taken down. One by one she could hear their distinct battle cries killed in the throat as each sharpened edge of the enemy found its fatal mark. She strove to meet them; her heart aching as she realized she would never make it in time.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and in desperation she tried to convince her mind that this was merely a dream.

_No... this can't be happening! This isn't—_

Familiar arms wrapped around her from behind; her drive forward was so strong that it left her back way open. She struggled almost half-heartedly, as half of her friends had already been slain and the rest seemed miles away. "It's useless," a voice whispered in her ear, "they are already dead. You won't be able to save them." He held her in his arms, preventing her escape, even though she already knew it was futile and remained tense in his arms. She could only watch.

The Konoha shinobi were skilled and efficient; each death lasted only as long as necessary. They were swift, clean. However, Kushina's agony lasted infinitely longer, burning into her skin and conscience. A pain beyond death itself.

When the break came at last, she alone stood in a surge of ghostly rage and blood. From that vortex of crimson energy and conflict, she finally decoded this wicked, ruthless game. The squares lay here, in this broken patch of forest; they stretched between Konohagakure and the Uzushiogakure. Five shinobi dead; a strategically captured pawn. And behind the fallen piece, more fanned out, ready and willing to replace it. What had the calculated skirmish done?

Two sides so similar, yet enmeshing, dividing themselves deeper into this morbid chess game. And for what prize? The cause was dead, her friends were dead, and nothing had been accomplished. Absolutely nothing. Konohagakure had no new prisoners, Uzushiogakure had no valuable intelligence about their enemies. A waste - such a waste. And they were so young...

Kushina dropped the kunai she held to the ground in front of her, disgusted and sick with herself and the world. Minato released her from behind, wordless. "What have you done?!" she screamed, and raced toward her fallen companions. The enemy company followed, still on their guard, and then relaxing as Kushina dropped to her knees near a crumpled form. She shook with suppressed emotion, her gaze on the body of Kiren.

It looked as if the youth had entered an eternal sleep, only the red stain on his chest marring the picture of peace. Minato's heart squeezed as he noticed how her shoulders trembled over Kiren's body. He moved towards her with a single hand outstretched; he wanted to comfort, to contain. Her head snapped up in an animalistic gesture. She reached forward with lightning speed and grabbed Minato's wrist.

"Come," she barked, and dragged him towards the youth on the ground. "Do you see? Look at him! He was only seven years old!" She pressed Minato's fingers to the youth's face, holding them there for a moment before releasing him. "A boy! He was just a boy!" Slowly, she leaned forward and touched her lips to Kiren's pale, bloodless forehead.

"And why?" she rasped, straightening herself. "And for what? For what?! Tell me!" She wrapped her arms around her middle, as if her stomach ached, and bent forward; head moving from side to side. None of the Konoha shinobi moved - they only watched the girl mourning over the death of her friends. A low, gut-wrenching howl tore from Kushina's lips and pierced the hearts of the living men nearby. She keened her loss; her voice was almost tangible amidst the trees.

The men turned toward their captain; bewilderment on their faces. Sanada pieced the fragments together quickly before his troops could fray further. "Bring her. And this time, tie her up _tighter_ and put a _thicker_ gag in her mouth. I will not risk her biting her tongue off," he commanded. "_Now_."

Minato gathered her up, and she offered no resistance, still in a daze over the outcome of the battle. Her gaze cleared as they moved away; she felt her wrists being crossed behind her back.

"No!" she shrieked, as she ripped herself out of his grasp. Her tenacious, afflicted eyes remained on the corpses.

She couldn't leave her friends here, unburied, with the wild animals waiting upon nightfall to start on them. She couldn't just leave them out here, forgotten. It wasn't right, damn it!

"Kushina, stop it." It was Minato, and he had caught her again. "They are dead, gone; there's nothing you can do for them. You are a prisoner." Minato felt the strength draining out of her.

She should fight it, demand what the dead were due, but she felt in her heart it would never be, could never be. The gap was too wide now.

"No—," she moaned, as they bore her away. Her mind and heart were dark and tired. The war had reached her inner soul, and coated the thick blackness over her.

Her eyes had become lifeless, almost transparent.

Kushina left a piece of herself among the dead, and an unnamed sorrow imprinted itself on her heart. "I will not forget," she promised in silence, invoking the spirits of the forest as her witnesses. "I will never forget."

* * *

**Honestly, I wonder if there are fast food restaurants in Naruto. I mean, we've seen the street food stands in several towns, but no ACTUAL fast food restaurant, right? (Punch me in the face if I'm wrong) Seriously. That would be so awesome. I would make an OC story with a girl whose dream is to run a fast food empire.**

**Eventually, when everyone in Naruto are fat, or worse, she'll take over the world. She has trained a super-special-awesome-task-force in secret and they will take out every threat that still exist in the world. So the girl will go on the be the Queen of the Elemental Nations.  
**

**There will be romance, deception, hamburgers and other greasy stuff.**

**Would anyone like to read that story? Aaah... bummer.**


	5. I See You

Even though Kushina did not put up much of a fight on their way back to the base camp, Sanada had still ordered Minato to knock her unconscious.

"It's a safety precaution," Sanada had assured him.

Minato didn't buy that for one second. He knew she wouldn't try anything; simply looking at her made it obvious.

Kushina had fastened her dark, weary eyes on something that seemed leagues away. Her mind was absent, if it even remained in this world.

Apart from being trussed up completely from hands to feet, a gag was jammed in her mouth. It had been wrapped several times around her head, forcing her mouth open unless she gritted her teeth.

He didn't want to see her like this - not in this miserable state - and that scared him. The fact that he had shown compassion toward an enemy was new, even to him. Usually, his foes never got in the range to meet his eyes before they were slain. But this time, he had been ordered to bring this girl back alive, which interfered with his usual purpose.

He was known by many for his remarkable sense of duty and committment. Always carrying out orders, without questions or failure. And at his young age, he also possessed a strong sense of justice, though perhaps not the best kind. He could only see it from his side. And that made the killing a lot easier for him; each death was justified by his own convictions.

But this girl was different, somehow. Not even once had he felt the desire to kill her, or even harm her for that matter. He began to feel... drawn to her, in a way he couldn't even comprehend himself. His every waking thought was consumed by her. Kushina.

Her alluring, violet eyes, highly addictive. A single glance from her was enough to enthrall him, sending his conscious mind into a world beyond rationality.

A few times, he had already caught himself fantasizing about her. Letting his hand run through her soft, beautiful crimson hair - smooth like the finest silk. His fingers trailing across her stomach, exploring, caressing, then tracing the bottom curve of her breast. He wanted to kiss along her swanlike neck, slow and passionate; hands running up and down her waist, searching for the source of the desire that aroused him.

_No. She's still my enemy. _Minato tried to convince himself. _She's still my enemy..._

Minato pressed his lips together, trying to suppress the feelings that stirred up in his body whenever he looked at her. Then, he closed his eyes, ignoring the loud thud that came when his hand struck the back of Kushina's head.

* * *

They threw her back into the tent, much thanks to Minato. At first, Sanada had told the men to bind her to the same pillar as before. However, Minato had protested on her behalf, saying that her wounds were still not fully healed. Further exposing of her physical condition would only lead to more suffering for the poor girl.

"There's no need for such unnecessary cruelty," Minato had said, irritated by his captain's harsh methods.

By the time Kushina came to it was already nightfall. Most of the men who were present during the ambush sat around a campfire in the middle of the camp, recalling the day's events.

The camp was unusually quiet that evening, and laughter permeated the air. Their voices were even loud enough to reach Kushina's ears, whose tent was on the outskirts of the encampment.

Her eyes were dazed, mouth dry, and her head was throbbing, as if she'd been hit with a bludgeon. She squirmed, tugging at the ropes without any result. The old wound along her chest and midriff had almost congealed. It barely hurt when she rubbed her stomach against the ground.

She tensed as the voices started to discuss the assault - every single detail of it. Her struggling grew more fierce as she heard how the men were mocking her dead friends' poor fighting skills.

They mentioned her. Referring to her as the pathetic, useless captain who allowed herself to get captured so easily. And as a result of her incompetence, she was forced to watch as her subordinates were being slaughtered one by one. Laughter followed each and every one of their scornful remarks.

Anger stirred up in her body - her eyes ablaze - as she kept fighting her bindings, flailing around like a wild animal. Beads of sweat sprung up on her forehead and the back of her neck. But the ropes wouldn't budge, not even one fraction of an inch.

"It's no use," a soft voice said. "Those knots are not coming undone."

Kushina let out a displeased grunt, shifting her head in the direction of the voice she recognized as Minato's. He was seated on the same crate as before with his arms folded. The inside of the tent was still rather dark, and he had concealed his presence as usual. Like the creep he was.

With a deep, unsteady breath through her nose, she relaxed, loosening every muscle in her body. Admitting defeat.

Minato stood up, walked over and sat down next to her. His calm and warm expression eased her tension a bit.

She moaned through her gag, looking at him with pleading eyes. Her meek, muffled sounds almost made his heart twinge, as he fought against the urge to give in to her wish.

"I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to remove your gag," he said. "The captain is not taking any chances with you."

Minato gave her an apologetic look, knowing how much she wanted to avenge her dead friends. But he had no intentions of ever letting her do so. As long as Kushina remained their captive, he would see to it that she was completely harmless.

Having seen - at first hand - her skills in battle, he would not take her lightly. Although he did not fear that he wouldn't be able to keep her at bay if necessary.

Of course, underestimating an enemy could always lead to a fatal outcome. However, Minato had already been able to evaluate her proficiencies; their encounter in the forest was more than enough for him to draw a conclusion.

Being up against more than one foe, mixing in a little ninjutsu could sometimes be more efficient than taijutsu alone. Since a strong ninjutsu could knock out multiple enemies in one hit, depending on its level.

Owing to the fact that Kushina had refrained from using any ninjutsu at all, Minato had assumed that she was either not confident in her abilities, or she had tried to hide her true potential. His intuition chose the former. He figured that there was no way in hell that this young, hot-headed girl would deliberately hide her real skills - moments before she was captured.

And though he never denied that Kushina's hand to hand combat was good, it didn't really match his own. Or so he thought.

Kushina peered up at Minato one last time, hoping that his persistency would give in to her female wiles.

Minato pinched the side of his thigh, out of sight for Kushina. Then he shook his head.

Kushina snorted, cursing inwardly to herself. The art of seducing was probably her worst subject. Even back in Uzushiogakure she had never really tried to accentuate whatever pretty features she had. So she was never really surprised that no man ever fell for that trick. At least on the few occasions when she gave it a try.

If she could decide for herself, she'd cut off her long, red hair straight away; she hated it, for many reasons. Shorter hair was much more convenient anyway, since it never bothered her vision. But her mother forbade her, saying that at least one part of her should remain somewhat feminine. However, her mother eventually gave up on her after wasting a considerable amount of time trying to teach Kushina some decent courtesy. Needless to say, it was noted very early that Kushina did what Kushina wanted to do. And Kushina chose to respect her mother's wish.

Minato noticed how the girl's face contorted and dropped, and a thought struck his mind. He remembered that she hadn't had anything to drink since the day before. And not only that. She had also been gagged in a very cruel way; her mouth must've been terribly dry.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked.

She looked up and nodded with newfound strength, making a few muffled noises in the process.

He went over to one of the crates, rummaging through its content until he found a bottle of water. Then he sat down in front of her again.

"Look, I'll untie your gag if you can promise me you won't say a single word. The captain has strictly ordered me to keep you quiet at all times," he said, trying to sound stern, even though he was almost whispering. "If not, I'll have to gag you again, and I won't give you any water until tomorrow. Blink twice if you understand."

Kushina nodded even more eagerly, blinking more than a dozen times to show her compliance.

Minato sighed. "Whatever." He leaned in closer to her and exchanged a brief glance as he loosened her gag.

She spat out a large wad of cloth, gasping as she looked down on it. A handkerchief, now soaked in saliva.

Kushina remembered how the other men had forced it into her mouth earlier, nearly causing her to choke. She shuddered slightly at the thought, then peered up at Minato, showing him a somewhat grateful look.

"Thanks," she blurted, pouting her lips.

He glowered at her.

"Oops, sorry."

Minato covered his face in his palm, letting out another sigh of annoyance.

He held out his hand. "Just drink."

Kushina wriggled her wrists and lifted her head up. The sound of rope digging through the sleeves into her skin filled Minato's ears.

"Believe it or not, but I'm quite tied up at the moment. Would you mind?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm, motioning with her head for him to come closer. "Or do you want me to beg for it, like a dog. Is that what you want?"

"Oh, sorry." A slight blush tinted Minato's cheeks as he held the bottle closer to her - enough for Kushina to drink from it. She leaned forward and drank until it was half empty.

"Thanks again," she grimaced.

Minato frowned, shooting her another glare. "Hey, did you forget the rules already?"

"The rules? Oh right, there were rules," she said. "Well, relax; everyone's sleeping. Who do you think is going to hear us anyway?"

"Well, that wasn't the point! The whole point was that you'd learn to do as you're told or—"

"Or what? Face the horrible consequences of defying the mighty whatever your name is?" Kushina interrupted, snickering at his uneasy expression. "Earn a backhand across the face, or perhaps even a broken—"

Minato picked up the wet handkerchief and shoved it back into Kushina's mouth before wrapping the piece of cloth around her head, preventing her from spitting it out.

"Just be quiet, okay?"

Kushina burst out in rage, flailing around and grunting at him; her eyes ablaze with anger.

Minato made a hushing gesture. "Sssshh!"

Then, after a brief moment of squirming, she stopped. With a deep inhale through her nose, she relaxed her tensed body, trying to stay calm. Her wrists and shoulders ached again, despite her long sleeves. The intense struggling had rubbed the dried scabs off, and it hurt. Her shoulders, on the other hand, felt like they had been dislocated after being bound for so long.

Minato never noticed her pain or discomfort, but he seemed satisfied. A gentle smile formed on his lips.

"Good. Now, try to get some rest, okay? I think you'll need it," he said. "I'll be back to check on you tomorrow."

Kushina just gave him a flippant nod. Her eyes were yelling at him to leave her alone. She turned away from his gaze, trying to make herself more comfortable. If it was even possible.

Minato rose up to his feet. Warmth slowly began to spread to the tips of his toes. Seeing her fierce eyes up close had sent his whole body tingling and stomach flipping.

He stayed and watched her for a long moment, thinking. Then he turned and walked out of the tent into the waning twilight; his heart beating faster than ever.

* * *

**Don't you just hate it when you text your best friend, and then he, like, doesn't answer in, like, hours?! I sometimes wish my best friend was at least a bit creative with his excuses.  
**

**Like, he could come up with an epic tale of how a demon whale suddenly appeared out of nowhere and yanked the phone off his hands. Then he had to  
follow the whale into an ancient realm called Katayamama and pass his seven trials of doom in order to get his phone back, so he could text me back.  
**

**Edit: Okay, I will see this through to the end. I will finish this fanfic, already promised too many people. (Thank you, Kastorius, Inumaryu, MiyukiTanaka-Uchiha, MelissaKatherine, ShikaNaru, HaiTeeNgirl97, alliayahmays707, XxNekoJInXx among many others for trying to cheer me on lol. And also everyone else who reviewed!) **


	6. Rest Well

"Kushina," a voice called out.

It sounded so distant, and yet so close.

Kushina jerked awake from her momentary stupor. Her eyes narrowed into a squint as she tried to peer through this blinding and yet eerily familiar white light. The voice that reverberated through her head was somehow recognizable, though try she did, she couldn't quite say who it was that was calling out to her. It was blurry, vague and Kushina could barely make out the words it spoke.

She wanted to respond to the one who was calling for her, but soon found that she couldn't. Her lips were moving, forming the words as though she was speaking, but no sound came from her mouth.

To her dismay, that wasn't the only part of her body that wouldn't listen to her will. Kushina's arms and wrists were restrained by invisible bonds, pinning them behind her back, making any movements impossible.

"Kushina," another voice called out. This one sounded more mature.

As if on cue, three more voices joined the two previous ones; their words lingered in her throbbing head, fading in and out, getting louder and getting quieter as the seconds ticked by. "Kushina!"

Then one by one, their echoes disappeared until only one remained.

"Kushina, are you okay?"

Kushina looked up as a shadow appeared in front of her, shaping itself into the form of a human.

"Here, let me help you."

The shadow reached out its hand, placing a finger on her lips.

She felt the tension in her mouth ease up, as she fell to her knees, eyes staring down. "I'm so sorry, Kiren. It's all my fault," she said, sobbing lightly, tears coating her voice. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't save any of you..."

Strands of hair curtaining her face were pulled aside by a small, gentle hand, and she looked up. Her gaze was met by two green, innocent eyes that peered into her own with a gentleness she felt she didn't quite deserve.

"Why are you crying, Kushina?" Kiren said. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Her sobbing subsided, but she still had a hard time trying to articulate what she wanted to say. "It's not like that. It's just that..." Kushina said, pressing her lips together as she tried to hold back the tears that were trying to force themselves upon her once more. "I'll never see you again, any of you. And it's all because of me."

Tears once again started to stream down her cheeks, and Kiren was there to wipe them off.

"If I weren't so eager, if we had waited until nightfall, none of this would've happened."

Kushina bit her lower lip.

"None of this would've happened..."

Another shadow appeared and stepped forward, putting its hand onto Kiren's shoulder.

"We don't blame you, so don't blame yourself, Kushina," it said. "You don't need to carry this burden on your own; let us help you. That's what friends are for after all, right?"

"Yeah, it's not your fault!" Kiren added.

"Teru!?" Kushina cried out. "Teru, is that you?"

"We're here, Kushina. All of us."

She blinked, clearing the tears from her eyes so she could clealy see all of her friends standing before her. It was the sight of their faces, alive and unharmed, that made her remember the pain; the pain of knowing that their real bodies were out there in the wild, probably being the defiled in the worst kinds of ways.

She squeezed her eyes shut, thrusting away those disturbing thoughts. The tension in her body eased up, and she felt how her arms began to respond to her will.

Kiren leaned in closer, almost just a breath away from her face. He smiled. "Can I rest on your lap?"

Kushina returned his warm smile as a stray tear ran down her cheek. "Of course you can."

She let her hand stroke through his golden brown hair; it was smooth and scentless, but lacked the life that was normally present for a human. A twinge of guilt plagued her heart, making her feel worse than she already did.

"You know that melody you used to hum when I couldn't fall asleep? Kiren asked.

"Yes?"

"Can you sing it for me one last time?"

Kushina froze for a second; her heart for the second time twinged in her chest. She buried her face in his hair, shaking, trying to recall his scent from when he was alive.

She took a deep breath and gathered herself. "Sure," she whispered in his ear. "One last time."

The youth nodded and smiled, closing his eyes, as Kushina started humming on a haunting, yet beautiful and lilting tune. He seemed happy at last, as if he'd been reminded of something he held very dear to his heart.

Kushina leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead. Her fingers ran through his hair, playing; feeling. One last time.

"Kiren," Teru said. "We have to go now."

Kiren shifted his head, gazing at Teru with an understanding expression and nodded. "Okay."

Panic seized her and Kushina caught his hand, squeezing it tightly. "No—" she pleaded, only realizing now how much she reminded herself of her mother. She released her grip, albeit a bit reluctant, and let go of his hand. "Don't go..."

Kiren walked up to the rest of his friends who were waiting for him. "I'm sorry, Kushina. But I have to." he mumbled. "I have to..."

She shot them one last glance, hoping that she would be able to see them again one day.

They all smiled, joining hands, at peace.

Together, they turned around and slowly moved far away, disappearing as their shadows were engulfed by the blinding light.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open. She was back inside the tent.

If she narrowed her eyes, she could catch a slight glimpse between the tent openings. The outside seemed to be dark, which meant she had been out for a couple of hours; she must have dozed off sometime during midday.

It had already been a week since the assault in the forest. Kushina had spent most of her days restrained, unable to move or speak. Of course, during the few occasions when she had to relieve her bladder, her hands were tied in front of her and connected to a long expanse of rope.

But the gag would remain in her mouth.

The conversations they—being Minato and herself—had were usually quite short lived. It was mostly Kushina babbling on about something most people would call tedious or meaningless, things that didn't seem appropriate for a prisoner of war whose future was uncertain to talk about. She had such great regard for even the most trivial things. Things that he never took note of, or ever spared a thought to. In fact, he could listen to her go on talking for an eternity, and never grow bored.

Minato had taken on the task of monitoring her, day and night, still not sure of why Sanada valued her this much. He was aware of the Uzumaki clan, and their prodigious shinobi, but if Kushina was one of their alleged prodigies, Minato wasn't too impressed. There must've been something else; something he wasn't informed of.

On the other hand, he was quite satisfied with the rules he had established. Blink once for the easy measure, blink twice for the more complicated one. There had been some small difficulties, and some haughty looks from Kushina's side, but nothing Minato couldn't handle.

However, he was still hesitant as to whether their prisoner had to be treated with this much caution. She had shown no signs of even attempting to escape, and Minato knew she wasn't hiding any sly intentions.

The sensation that stirred up in his body hadn't stopped, though he tried his utmost to suppress it. To top it off, neither had the feeling of remorse, whenever he listened to her muffled moans at night. But he'd already found a remedy for this: pinching his thigh, hard at that, helped him to not let the squeamish part of his conscience take over. It was surprisingly effective.

As Kushina looked down, she noticed the piece of cloth that was hanging around her neck. The ropes that previously bound her were coiled up in a bundle in front of her.

"You were talking in your sleep. Well, crying rather," Minato said, resting his back against a crate. "It sounded as if you were having trouble breathing."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Won't you get in trouble for this?"

He smirked. "Well, nobody has to find out, right? As long as you don't scream or anything, we'll be okay," he said. "Or are you going to peach? Because then I might just have to gag you again."

Kushina shook her head. "Though it may not seem like it, I enjoy the occasional freedom you bestow me," she said, rolling her eyes. "A whole lot more than being trussed up like a pig, actually."

Minato tittered. "Bestow? From where did you learn such a fancy word?" he said, sarcasm edging his voice. "Acting class?"

She frowned at his response. "You're one to talk. Don't you think I've seen how you treat your sick, sadistic, crap-head of a captain?" she said, and started pulling faces like a pampered kid. "Oh captain Sanada, I have brought thee a prisoner of paramount value to make amends for my unrivaled inanity, sincerely thy truthful servant."

Kushina straightened herself and shot him a glare, pursing her lips, and muttered, "Kiss ass."

Minato flushed. "Hey! I don't talk like tha—"

Kushina raced through the scant distance between them and clamped her hand over Minato's mouth, making his words come out as unintelligible noises. All while pinning one of his arms to his side with her hand; the other arm with her knee.

"I thought you said no screaming? So lower your voice, damn it!" she hissed. "Or do I have to put a gag in _your_ mouth to keep _you_ quiet?"

Minato shook his head; his face reddened and his heart pounded against his ribcage.

"Good," she snickered. "I like obedient boys."

Kushina let go of her grip and moved back a bit. A content grin was plastered on her face.

Minato, on the other hand, looked like he had choked one something concrete.

"See? You'd make a great prisoner! A much better one than myself, in fact."

She covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle a laugh. Then she turned around and placed her hands behind her back.

Minato shot her a disconcerted look, still in a daze after her sudden outbreak. "What are you doing?"

"Aren't you going to tie me up because of that 'dangerous' little stunt I just pulled?" she said. "Captain Crap-head would probably have had me in chains by now, you know."

Minato's eyes were listening, but his mind did not really follow her words. It was still recreating an image of her soft, pouting lips in his head; carefully depicting her fierce, violet eyes, and the smooth contours of her face. He still had the taste and smell of her hand, her delicate fingers, lingering on his lips.

"Uh… Yeah. Right," he said, still absent-minded.

Minato reached for the bundle of rope and started wrapping it around her tender wrists before moving on to her ankles.

He said nothing, merely staring with a blank face at the rope he held in his hands, trying to avoid all physical contact. One could say it did look odd when he tried to cinch the rope, without touching her skin. It was a most difficult ordeal.

Kushina let out a sigh and dropped down onto her back; rolling over to the torn blanket she had been given.

She rolled around, twisted and turned, trying to get herself into a somewhat comfortable position. Although it only made things worse because now her back, chin and several other parts of her body were itching like crazy.

Even with her hands bound behind her back she could still scratch her back with relative ease. But her face would prove to be rather difficult.

The thought of rubbing her face against the blanket struck her; more than once, actually. However, with Minato there, why would she even consider such a goofy measure; she wanted to at least preserve some of her pride.

Then another thought struck her mind, and she looked over at Minato, who was resting his back against the crate.

"Hey. You."

"I have a name..." Minato muttered.

"Oh, so we're on first-name basis already?" Kushina forced a smile with a wry twist of her mouth.

"You know my name, I know yours."

"Oooh, but you don't know if it's my real name, do you? I could've given you a fake name, you know."

"I was there during the interrogation, don't you remember?"

She cocked her head. "Yeah, so?"

"And who asked the questions?" Minato sneered.

Kushina pursed her lips. "Captain Crap-head."

"Captain Sanada," Minato corrected. "You're terrified of him, aren't you?"

She looked down. "A little, maybe."

"It's nothing to be ashamed—"

"Okay, I get it! Minato, was it?" she said. "Well, Minato, could you do me a favor?"

"I don't recall being indebted to you," he teased.

She lowered her jaw, widening her eyes, and took on a loosely submissive stance. "Pretty please?"

Blood rushed to the northern part of his body, tinting his cheeks the color of embarrassment. "Fine. What is it?"

"Promise?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Can I rest on your lap?"

"What?" he asked, in utter disbelief.

"Can I rest on your lap?" She repeated.

Minato gave it a quick thought before answering, "Sure. I guess."

Kushina threw him a smile and started shuffling herself over to him. She shifted her head and gave him a stare for stare.

"Now, scratch my nose," she demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"You promised you'd do me a favor, right? Seriously, my nose is itching like crazy!"

Minato sighed. For a brief moment, he wondered where her vivacity came from; it didn't feel genuine. But he didn't venture too far into those thoughts.

He held his fingers close to her face, hating how they trembled in front of her. He scratched the tip of her nose for a while, until she turned her head to the side. His fingers then slowly proceeded down the side of her face, caressing her soft, fair skin.

"Thanks," she whispered. "Is it okay if I close my eyes for a bit?"

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, sure. Rest well—"

She curled up against him, almost instantly dozing off the moment she closed her eyes.

Minato gazed down on the girl in his lap. He could hear her calm, rhythmical breathing. Inhaling and then exhaling. The girl's face looked exhausted. Her usual bold facade was gone, and what remained were only the soft contours of a harmless girl.

Minato couldn't believe it. Was he really cradling an enemy kunoichi in his arms?

When he looked at her, he didn't see a strong, independent woman. When he looked at her, he didn't see anything but a young girl; a girl who had lost everything, being her friends and her innocence in a war far too blurry for anyone to draw a meaning from.

Suffering, so much suffering.

Minato leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Rest well..."

* * *

**Dear Mr/Miss. Jerza Fernandes The reason why Mr. Namikaze isn't a captain is mainly because it's AU. I would have to rewrite the whole story if I want Minato to be a captain. And nothing that is about to happen would be possible. I altered their ages, though it's not a valid reason since Minato is a prodigy yadda yadda. **

**But I wanted to add some realistic elements, especially to their personalities even though nothing in the Naruto universe is very realistic. I mean, I just read up on Itachi and seriously? He's as smart as the old man at the age of like 6? Really? Well, Fuck Me. Okay, now I'm going off topic. **

**Anyway, I wanted him to lack the experience in warfare, making him less qualified to be a leader of some sort. I know ninjas don't give a shit about this, they just rush in guns blazing. Don't worry though, Minato is still as strong. In fact, he's way stronger than the real captain, if that makes you guys feel a bit more at ease. ^_^  
**

**I hope people are still reading this, please let me know if you are. It's always nice. Sorry for the delay.  
**


	7. A Decision Is Made

"You wanted to see me, captain Sanada?" A voice coming from behind him said.

Sanada straightened and turned around, facing the adolescent. His eye twitched as a beam of moonlight found its way in through the fluttering tent openings, revealing his cold facade.

"Skip the damn formalities, Minato. It doesn't suit you."

Minato furrowed his brows. "Sanada," he said. "Any specific reason why you called me out here in the middle of the night?"

Sanada cleared his throat "There have been several reports of Kumo shinobi advancing across our borders during the night," Sanada said. "We've interpreted this action as a declaration of war and reinforcements are on their way as we speak. As well as your temporary substitute."

"What?" He narrowed his eyes at Sanada, showing a puzzled look. "Substitute? What do you mean?"

Had he misheard his words just now? Why on earth would they find a replacement for him?

"Haven't you heard? The news is spreading like wildfire throughout the nations."

"Do I need to remind you that I've been spending the last two weeks confined in a tent together with an awfully demanding prisoner?" Minato sighed. "Reading the news has been the last thing on my mind, unfortunately."

Sanada took out a kunai and turned his back to Minato, facing the map on the table before him. With a swift and confident slash, a small part of the map was cut off, and he held up the piece of paper between his fingers.

"Uzushiogakure has been destroyed," Sanada started. "Kirigakure was quick to catch up with the rest of us, and they attacked from the east, leaving Uzushiogakure surrounded on either side."

Minato's eyes widened. "And what about the people? Were there any survivors?"

"The few remaining survivors spread across the nations and their whereabouts are currently unknown."

Minato cocked his head. "I don't understand. How does this concern me being replaced?"

"You're not being replaced," Sanada explained. "You've been entrusted with a special task, requested by the council. And once you've finished your mission, you'll return to wherever your skills are—"

"What?! Why now?" Minato exclaimed, tightening his jaw. "How can you send me away at a time like this? You know better than anybody else that I'm the most capable shinobi here. Without me, how many more of your men will fall? You _need_ me."

"Get off your high horse, boy. That kind of arrogance is what will get you killed on the battlefield," Sanada hissed. "You already know that I am aware of that fact, and I don't deny it. But right now, the Kumo shinobi are simply poking at our borders, and that's nothing we can't handle until our reinforcements arrive. It has yet to develop into a full-blown war."

"That's not an excuse for unnecessary casualties." Minato added with a discontent expression.

"This task is more important than a few dead men, Minato." Sanada said, narrowing his eyes. "And since you so nicely said it yourself, you are the most capable person to entrust this mission with."

"A few dead men..." Minato clenched his fists, trying desperately to reign in his anger. Never before had he heard such disrespectful words come from his captain's mouth. "Do they mean nothing to you?"

"My men are my heart and soul, Minato; you know that." He paused, considering his words. "But sometimes, sacrifices are necessary in order to—"

"Skip the bullshit, Sanada. It doesn't suit you." Minato said, gritting his teeth. "What is this task you're speaking so highly of?"

Sanada shot him a disappointed look. "Honestly, Minato. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Minato fixed Sanada with a scathing look. Sanada sighed.

"The girl is one of the last remaining Uzumaki's alive; she might even be the only one; we don't know for sure yet. Either way, she's far too valuable to lose into enemy hands," he said. "Your mission is to bring her to Konoha and hand her over to the council. They will decide her fate."

"Do you even know if she's a pure-blood?" Minato asked. "And what is the council intending to do with her?"

"The Uzumaki are well known for their longevity, life force and their formidable fūinjutsu, be it half or pure-blooded," Sanada said, cupping his chin. "The council's intentions are, to me, yet unknown. But I would assume they want her solely for her fūinjutsu."

"Are you going to tell her about the destruction of her village?"

"No," Sanada's eyes took on a more serious look. "The girl will know nothing, and you will tell her nothing. She's already unstable as it is."

"She has the right to know..." Minato's face contorted. His hands closed into fists once again as he bit his lower lip - a habit he'd somehow inherited from spending two weeks with the feisty Kushina.

"A prisoner has no such rights," Sanada said, folding his arms across his chest. "Don't ever forget what she is, or you'll come to regret it."

"I know what she is."

"Good, then this conversation is over. You will leave in the morning, and I will see to it that my men have the prisoner ready. Until then, you should try to get some rest," Sanada continued. "And remember; even if we're on home ground, spies and saboteurs still roam the forests without much worry. I'd suggest that you stay off the roads as it will drag too much attention. I will provide you with a map if need be."

Minato nodded and turned to leave, but Sanada stopped him in his tracks. "Minato."

"Yes, Sanada?"

"Be careful."

* * *

**Whenever I go to bed, tucked in nicely and all, nightmares and weird images start flashing before my eyes like an endless horror film, causing me to squirm like a deranged stroke victim (it's not a pleasant view).**

**I probably get less than four hours of sleep every day, making the black bags under my eyes grow bigger and bigger. And yet I still barely manage to upload one chapter a week? :) I think I deserve a cookie for that, seriously.  
**

**You know, they say that the funniest people are also the most depressed. **

**Wow. I. Must. Be. So. Fucking. Hilarious.  
**

**EDIT: I fell on my wrist like a retard and it feels, like, broken. I can only type with one hand, so the new chapter will be delayed. Sorry TT^TT**


	8. Bring It On

Minato closed his eyes, arms resting under the back of his head. He enjoyed sleeping under the open sky, with the gleaming stars smiling down upon him, more than the rigid mattress that the encampment provided. The tickling feeling of grass caressing his cheeks was something he had found soothing ever since he was a child. It made him forget—even for just a moment—about all the atrocities he had witnessed during the war. The calm forest, the mysterious ocean, the bold mountains; they had this effect on him.

Minato had always felt that mother nature could never be appreciated enough.

But when he squeezed his eyelids shut, the only thing that appeared before him was her joyful face. One of the few times he had seen her smiling from ear to ear like that was when she received her first hot meal. Honestly, how could a prisoner of war be happy over something as trivial as that?

However, Minato learned quickly that he should never treat Kushina like a normal young woman; for she was anything but normal.

There had been times when Minato wished everything was different. That they maybe could meet again, in another life, in another world, and fall in love. But it was too late now.

"Get out of my head..." Minato groaned, rubbing his temples - hoping that the images would disappear from his mind.

Never before had he faced the intricacies of falling in love with his enemy, and it proved to much more of a hassle than he had thought. He disliked the way they treated her during her captivity, but at the same time, he deemed it to be a fitting treatment for a prisoner from an enemy nation.

Putting his personal emotions before duty was something he had promised himself to never happen. Now, however, he was being ambivalent.

Ambivalent to the point that he started doubting his own convictions.

One last try.

Minato closed his eyes.

* * *

Morning came, sooner than one could think, and Minato had already prepared himself for the journey. He had received a backpack with necessary provisions and was in fact ready to leave, though his contorting face showed that he was less than eager to do so.

He strode into Kushina's tent, noticing how there were already five tall Konoha shinobi standing over her crumpled form. They were all panting quite heavily, two of them crouched, with beads of sweat streaming down their foreheads.

"This one... is a real fighter," one of them said.

Minato looked down. "I can see that you had some problems with her."

Kushina lay unconscious on the ground. Her hands and feet were tightly secured with rope and despite the fact that Minato couldn't see her face, he presumed that she was gagged as well. The men had also tied a black bag over her head, and Minato asked if that would interfere with her breathing but the men shook their heads, as if on cue.

She was still clad in a dark green shirt that reached down to her knees, but the lower part had been folded and fastened around her waist. For what purpose, he had no idea. The only new addition to her outfit was a pair of dark rugged pants.

Minato snickered to himself, wondering if she had put those pants on voluntarily. And if not, he tried to imagine what kind of ordeal the men had to go through to force them on.

"Remember everything I told you. _Good luck_," A voice behind him said. "And say hi to the old man for me."

"Sure, Sanada."

* * *

By the time Kushina came to, she could feel something familiar pressed against her stomach - a shoulder. It was probably a bad sign that she had grown accustomed to being carried around like that, though they seemed to be traveling at a much faster pace than usual.

The only part that was different this time was that she couldn't see anything at all. Well, that and the taste of fabric on her tongue, increasing her bout of nausea.

"Hwa wa _fuh_?"

"Oh, you're awake."

"Mihaho?"

"Yeah, surprise."

"Mihaho, unhie meh."

"No. There's a reason why we tied you up, you know."

"Mihaho!" Kushina yelled through her gag. "Fuhing hit!"

Minato glanced over his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Ih hah mohun hinhess Ihw wihh thowa, puuh mh ouhn!"

"What?"

"Tahe ouph mh gah foh chying ouh ouhd!"

"Hold on a second. I don't understand a word you're saying."

He slowed down and landed on a wide branch in his path, putting Kushina down with her back leaning against the tree trunk. The bag over her head was removed along with her gag, and Kushina spat out a piece of cloth from her mouth.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" she asked, after she'd finally regained her breath.

Minato averted his eyes. "We're going on a trip, just you and me."

"Lovely," Kushina spat. "So I'm stuck with you for how long?"

"Oh, just a few days," Minato said, mustering up a smile. "Don't worry, I'll manage."

Kushina stuck her tongue out. "Someone please kill me now."

"Okay, that's enough; we need to move." Minato picked up the soaked piece of cloth and the bag. "Open up."

"Wait!" Kushina pleaded. "You can't!"

Minato shot her a puzzled look. "What?"

"I have motion sickness, a serious one at that. If you pull that... thing over my head, I'll throw up."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Well, do you want to find out?"

"Okay, you have a point," Minato sighed. "But that doesn't mean I can't keep you gagged."

"Yeah it does," Kushina said, furrowing her brows. "It tastes disgusting, and if I keep that in my mouth, I'll definitely throw up and choke to death on my own vomit. Seriously, if you let that happen - I'll come back and haunt you for the rest of your life. No kidding."

Minato gulped. "Fine. No gag."

"And no more jumping, we'll walk from now on."

"Hey!" Minato grabbed the front of her shirt. "You're in no position to order me around. We'll move at my speed, whether you like it or not."

"Then I'll bite off my tongue and bleed to death," she said, grinning. "Your move."

Minato's face was starting to contort in anger.

"See?" Kushina smiled. "You _need_ me alive. I'm not that stupid, you know. So, I guess we're on our way to Konohagakure? Correct?"

Minato gritted his teeth. "Just walk..."

He untied her feet and they descended from the tree, landing on the grassy ground underneath them, and started walking. This wasn't really what Minato had expected, but since he seemed unable to beat her in a verbal fight, it just so happened that Kushina chose the pace at which they traveled.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"Can you be quiet for just a second so I can think?!"

"No."

"Do you want me to put the gag back in your mouth?"

"No."

"Then shut up."

"Okay."

Minato sighed deeply. If he had known that Kushina would be this annoying, he never would have accepted Sanada's request to begin with. But now, no matter how much he disliked his situation, he had a mission to carry out.

"Hey, Minato," Kushina whispered. "Are you sure that you know the way back to Konoha?"

"For the thousandth time, yes. I have a..." Minato started, rummaging around in his backpack, "map?"

"Where's the map?" Kushina asked.

"It's... it's not here?!" he said, clutching his head; eyes larger than saucer plates. "Where's the friggin' map!"

Kushina rolled her eyes. "Dear diary. Today was the first day of my journey together with this idiot - Minato. He forgot to bring a map, and now we're lost."

Minato turned his gaze, glaring daggers at Kushina.

"Aaaand I think he's angry with me."

* * *

"Hey, Minato."

"Yes?"

"Is it just me or is this the second time I see that bush over there?"

"Nope, we're just lost."

They had been walking for over an hour now. And even though the forest was just sparsely decorated with trees, they still managed to wander astray.

"There's a path over there." Kushina nodded at a seemingly narrow path up ahead, well concealed by a couple of trees. "Let's see where it takes us."

"This isn't the time to be fooling around. We don't even know where it leads."

"Well, do you have any other ideas?"

"Uhh..." Minato scratched the back of his head. "No."

"Then let's go."

There were a considerable amount of rocks spread across the path, lurking around every corner, so Kushina chose her steps gingerly; she didn't want to end up with her face in the dirt. The small path was closely surrounded by large trees, thus blocking out the sun's light. And therefore Minato walked right behind Kushina, not letting his eyes wander away from his prisoner for one second.

They kept walking until they spotted a bright light that marked the end of the pathway. The roaring sound of streaming water reached their ears, and they started moving faster toward its source.

"Well look at that!" Kushina said when they finally reached the end. "A river. Isn't that just great? Now it should be a piece of cake to navigate from here, right?"

The shore was relatively wide and filled with flattened rocks that made it possible to walk alongside the river; the far side being covered with more trees.

Minato gave Kushina's suggestion a quick thought - after all it did sound easier to navigate from there.

"Maybe you're right."

"But first..." Kushina started, looking at Minato with a pair of stray puppy dog eyes. "I think we should reward ourselves with a nice and refreshing bath! Don't you agree?"

"Bath... Yeah, why not?"

"Great!" Kushina exclaimed. "Honestly, it feels like it's been a month since I washed my hair."

"Same here," Minato smiled.

"Umm, can you help me untie these, please?" Kushina turned around, motioning him to untie the rope around her wrists.

"Oh?" he said, grabbing Kushina's forearm. "I think you misunderstood what I meant."

"Hey! What are you—"

Minato led Kushina over to a tree a scant distance away, pushed her down and pulled out a long piece of rope from his backpack.

"No, no, no, no. Stop. Stop. _Stop_!" she cried. "You can't be serious!"

"See it as a punishment for being a real pain in the ass the entire morning." Minato smiled and patted her on the head.

"I hope you go bald." Kushina muttered. "I really do."

* * *

She hated to admit it. She hated it more than she hated her father's fish stew. But Minato was probably the most handsome man she had ever met.

How could she deny it? Well, if it wasn't for his gorgeous pair of eyes, blue as the summer sky, high cheekbones, perfectly defined jaw line and silky golden hair that made her lust for his presence, then maybe.

And to her dismay, she could only watch as Minato undressed, throwing off his shirt and jacket, revealing those sturdy abdominal muscles that sent a warm, tingling feeling up her spine.

She bit her lower lip in frustration, watching how he washed his face in the seemingly hot water. And if it wasn't for the fact that he was an enemy shinobi, she probably would've given her bonds a real fight. But now, she remained calm, leaning back against the tree while occasionally checking if the ropes had loosened even just a bit.

"Are you finished soon?" Kushina whined. "We should get going before it gets dark, you know."

"Don't be so grumpy, Kushina," Minato teased. "The water is perfect. I could stay here all day."

"Oh I'm sure you could," Kushina snorted.

"But you're right," he said, stepping out of the water. "We should get going."

Kushina was a bit disappointed that he put on his shirt again. If she could decide, she'd rather have him go without it. But like Minato had said; she was in no position to order him around; she just had to deal with it.

He walked up behind the tree, and Kushina soon felt how the ropes around her body dropped down in her lap.

"Let's go."

* * *

"I know you can walk faster than that," Minato said. "You're not fooling me."

"Oh give a girl a break!" Kushina moaned. "My legs are killing me. Literally. Can we just take a short break?"

"We took a break _five_ minutes ago!"

Kushina's lips thinned. "So what? I _need_ another one."

"We're not taking another break."

"Then I'll scream."

"Then I'll shove a gag in your mouth."

"Then I'll throw up and die - and haunt you, your family and your friends for life and—"

"Fine!" Minato snapped. "Take your damn break!"

"Thanks," Kushina smiled. "I knew you could be reasonable."

They were still walking alongside the river, and so Kushina ran—though not far—ahead until she found a tree to lean her back against - without being tied to it this time. However, she had other intentions. With her hands behind her back, the bindings were also conveniently out of sight for Minato.

Kushina had been working gingerly on untying the knots ever since Minato had left her to watch him bathe. Her fingers were just barely out of reach, but as she rubbed her wrists against the tree, the knot came closer and closer.

_Just a little more_, she thought, furrowing her brows in concentration.

Minato stood up. "Time's up."

"One more minute."

"No."

"Thirty seconds?"

"No."

"Pretty please?" she pleaded, all while trying to keep a calm and composed face as the rope dug into her skin.

"T-That doesn't work on me anymore," Minato said, though his face flushed slightly. "Please, don't force me to get rough."

He walked over to Kushina and grabbed her arm, yanking her up.

"I should be the one saying that," she snickered.

To Minato's surprise, Kushina twisted her body and in a swift motion she delivered a sharp kick aimed toward his torso. However Minato was quick to block it with both of his forearms crossed, but winced by the sheer pressure and took a leap back, creating some distance between them.

Kushina held her arms up, entering a battle stance - a wide grin plastered on her face.

"I hope you don't mind fighting me without your little friends this time," she said. "But it's more fair this way, don't you think?"

"I agree. And I'm sorry about last time; I should've told them to step aside."

"Just you and me this time, big boy. Don't wet your pants."

"Yeah." Minato let his hand slip into the pouch on his thigh, pulling out an oddly shaped kunai; a seal attached to the handle.

He smiled. "_Bring it on_."

* * *

**Okay. So first I need to apologize for being... late. I'm sorry. **

**Then we have some bad news. With law school coming up, I won't have any time to write at all, and so I rushed through this in one day(lol). I don't even know what to do. Should I put this on hold, or should I let someone else continue? (If anyone wants lol ._. because I don't know how this kinda thing usually works.) I already have everything planned out, even for the sequel, but I don't have time for it, and I really want to see the end TT^TT**

**Also, my Korean and Japanese are getting really sloppy. I need to practice that too. **

**So... thoughts? What should I do?!**

**And by the way, thank you all for your kind reviews, and for sticking with me so far - I appreciate it! ^_^And it motivates me to keep on going, even through the hard times!  
**

**PS. If you have any suggestions of how I should deal with this, please send me a PM!  
**

**EDIT: Thank you all for your PM's and stuff! I will answer them separately soon. So I have decided (yet again lol sorry...) to finish this story. Please, bear with me :3  
**

**THIS STORY WILL BE AWESOME!  
**

**Double edit: 14/8 -13 I'm not dead! ^^  
**


	9. Don't Think You're Better Than Me

**"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"**

Kushina's eyes widened as a volley of fiery orbs approached her at a considerable speed. She sidestepped out into the river, focusing a small portion of her chakra to her feet. And as her feet connected with the water, she let out a disgruntled groan as she noticed how a couple of the fireballs changed direction and headed straight toward her.

Kushina closed her eyes for a brief moment, thrusting away the anxiety to the back of her head. She had never been good at ninjutsu; she was, in fact, terrible at it. And this would come back to haunt her during several occasions. Now, for instance, she was most likely at a serious disadvantage - Minato seemed to be quite skilled in nijutsu as well, apart from being a taijutsu expert.

But a technique of this level shouldn't have been that much of a problem for her, at least that's what she thought.

_Please work, please work, please work, please work_, she thought, forming a hand seal with two upright fingers. She inhaled deeply, gathering as much air in her lungs as possible; her cheeks puffed out.

**"Suiton: Mizurappa!"**

A stream of water gushed out of Kushina's mouth, blocking the fireballs and the shurikens that the flames concealed. She let out a quick sigh of relief, narrowing her eyes into a squint, as she tried to peer through the thick steam that the colliding jutsus had made.

"Where is—" she mumbled.

"Hey," a voice called from above her. "Don't let your eyes wander off the target!"

She jerked her head upward and desperately raised her arms, crossing them, and bent her knees to prepare herself for the incoming blow.

The mere impact from Minato's assault pushed her back, and she tumbled backward, rolling across the surface. A faint shriek of pain left her throat, but she was quick to jump back onto her feet - only to notice that Minato approached her once again.

His movements were swift, elegant and almost too much for Kushina to handle. The first strike that was aimed toward her side was parried with rather ease, but the second fist imprinted itself into her face and sent her flying a long distance.

The friction between the chakra infused in her body and the surface stopped her fall, and she stood up, wiping off a trickle of blood from her nose. Her legs were still faltering, swaying back and forth, as her lungs slowly regained a somewhat stable state.

"Hey!" Minato shouted. "You okay?!"

"S-Shut up!" Kushina's eyes twitched and she gritted her teeth, fuming with suppressed anger. "I'm just... evaluating your skills, you know!"

"Sure you are," he smiled. "And I'm sure you have everything under control too."

"Of course!" she spat. "Who the heck do you think I am?!"

"I'm not implying anything. I just think that it seems like you have problems keeping up with me."

"Worry about your own damn problems!"

"Fine, but don't come whining to me that your butt hurts later."

The two shinobi lunged at each other again, exchanging a series of blows and kicks. Their fight went on as they followed the river downstream, and the only thing that seemed to differ the two was that one of them was clearly enjoying the situation while the other one felt quite the opposite.

With a loud thud, their forearms clashed, and they both took a leap back to reassess their strategies - at least one of them did.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Who the hell is this guy?! He's not normal. He's definitely not normal!_

A drop of sweat fell down from Kushina's chin and hit the flowing surface; her face blanched, and her breathing was unusually heavy. Kushina thought the air felt humid - or even thick - and it increased the nauseous feeling that stirred up in her stomach.

_I still have one last shot. But I can't... No—I have to try. I have to._

She closed her eyes, summoning the remainder of her chakra. And without a warning, her eyes fluttered opened again, burning with newfound fervor. A series of hand seals followed thereafter, and Kushina took one last deep breath.

**"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"**

A large amount of water slowly arose from the streaming water, shaping itself into the form of a half-done dragon.

Kushina turned her gaze, eyes staring in bewilderment at the misshapen form of water.

"No," she mumbled. "No, this can't be right..."

"Is it my turn yet?" Minato sneered, as the water dissolved. "Because it looks to me like your jutsu didn't turn out the way you planned."

He took a leap to the side and landed on the ground with both hands connected, forming a hand seal.

"Now let's finish this," Minato shouted. **"Katon: Karyū Endan!"**

A wave of flames burst out from Minato's mouth; it divided itself into three parts and approached the kunoichi from different directions.

_What the heck? Is he trying to kill me?!_

Kushina eyes widened, but she gathered herself at the last second, narrowly escaping the vicious flames by taking a leap up toward the sky.

She didn't have enough time to think her decision through - she acted merely on instinct. By jumping upward, she knew that she would leave herself vulnerable for another attack. However, there was no other way to escape Minato's jutsu; at least not for Kushina; the flames would've turned her into ash in a matter of seconds.

But her worst problem was that Minato was aware of this as well, and he reacted accordingly.

As the flames subsided, Minato gazed up, snickering at the sight of a disgruntled Kushina and a wide smirk formed on his lips.

"Playtime's over."

His grip tightened around the handle to an oddly shaped kunai and he threw it toward Kushina with determined force.

Kushina shifted her body mid-air and managed to dodge the kunai - though not far away from scraping her skin against the sharp blade.

"Did you really think that—"

She blinked her eyes once. Just once. No longer than a quarter of a second. But when her eyes opened again, Minato was gone.

A sharp pain exploded in the back of her head, and sent her into a world of darkness.

_What just... happened?_

* * *

**Yeah, okay. So. Note to self: Law school is a pain in the ass. Don't ever get behind when you're studying law. Ever.**

**I know I've been a slow-ass at updating lately, but I have my reasons. But what can I do?! Or what do you want me to do?! Go down my knees and beg for forgiveness? Screw that.**

**I got a better idea. Let's slam my head into a wall.**


	10. I Want To Go Home

When Kushina came to, the sun had disappeared from its mundane position in the sky, and an overwhelming darkness began to fill the forest. The thundering sound from the river was not far from her ears, but all of her senses were now focused on one thing; a scent that reminded her of home.

"Kushina? Kushina, are you awake?"

She opened her eyes, squinting them for a second, as they adjusted themselves to reality. And it only took a light jerk forward for Kushina to realize that her body was encased in ropes and fastened to a tree. The bonds were tight - enough for her to reconsider an attempt to escape - but she expected no less from the cautious Minato.

"How are you feeling?"

"Headache," she muttered, staring down at the intricate weaving of ropes around her body. "Uncomfortable."

"Sorry about that, but I can't have you running away, you know," Minato teased.

He stood up and grabbed a stick with a pierced fish that had been slightly blackened by the small campfire's heat, and walked over to Kushina.

"Here," he said, holding the fish inches away from her face. "Eat it."

Kushina gulped. "I-I don't like grilled fish."

"Well. we don't have much else. But what can I get you instead?"

"Tempura shrimp, pork with beans, soba noodles, unagi... those are my favorites."

"Okay, stop messing with me," Minato sighed. "Now eat up."

Kushina snapped her head up, focusing her aim for a second, and spat him right between his eyes. A faint smirk formed on her lips, and it grew wider and wider with every passing second. It was one of those half victorious, half naughty smiles - one that could only be found on the most wicked of personalities.

"Why don't you eat it up your—uummpph!"

Her words were muffled as Minato shoved half of the fish into her mouth; the other half protruding from her mouth.

"Geez, why do you always have to be such a troublemaker?" he sighed, wiping off his face.

Kushina snorted, averting her eyes, and started chewing on the fish with an unintended obedience.

"Ahffhowe..."

* * *

Grilled fish had always been a common sight at the dinner table in Uzushiogakure; a dish Kushina never grew tired of. But the circumstances would be different there. Instead of being trussed up out in the woods behind enemy lines, she'd sit inside a warm, cozy house with her beloved family, retelling the day's events with as much fervor as she was known for.

However, that was only something she could dream of right now.

Kushina tried to jerk her wrists apart, but the tightness of the ropes persisted, making her irritable. She peered upward, staring for a second at the shimmering full moon in the middle of the obsidian sky, and then she glanced back at Minato. He still sat around the campfire with his legs crossed; upper body slightly bent forward.

The expression on his face gave away no secrets. He looked calm, as if he was engulfed by a million thoughts but still able to keep his sanity. Kushina, on the other hand, thought he looked smug - way too smug for his own good.

"Who are you?"

"What?"

Minato looked up at his prisoner whose face was lit up by the bright moonlight.

Her voice was monotonous and her question was sharp - it was one of those question that could easily be misinterpreted by someone who wasn't paying attention to its context.

"You heard me. Who are you?" Her voice grew more dark, yet a hint of disbelief still coated her tone.

Minato was startled to say the least. Considering the fact that Kushina hadn't said a word ever since dinner, it seemed odd to him that she would ask him such a straight question all of a sudden. Nor was he sure of what she actually meant - but that didn't bother him as much. What bothered him was her look, her eyes, glimmering at him with an almost inadvertent suspicion.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," she said, clenching her hands that were still bound behind her back. "You're not like any other Konoha shinobi I've met before.

"How come?"

"That thing... you did—when you knocked me unconscious."

"What about it?"

"What was that?! It wasn't just a normal body flicker technique - so don't give me that bullshit!"

"Ancient Konoha secret," Minato smiled, peering down at the remainder of the campfire that had long since been burnt down to ashes.

"Very funny. Now tell me; that kind of speed... it just can't be possible for a human being."

"Are you telling me that I cheated somehow? Geez, Kushina, I never knew you were such a bad loser."

"T-That's not what I'm saying!" Kushina hissed, cheeks tinted with an embarrassed blush. "And I'm not a bad loser!"

"You're too cute sometimes," Minato laughed. "Just look at yourself; all worked up for nothing. Tied up and still asking questions."

"You're not gonna answer me, are you?"

"Nope."

"Can you at least give me a hint?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Isn't it obvious? You'll be at a serious disadvantage in our next battle if I know all of your secret techniques!"

"I was afraid you'd say that." Minato rubbed his forehead, letting out a deep sigh. "But there won't be a next time, Kushina."

"Oh, just you wait," Kushina grinned, as her hand tried to reach for her back pocket. "I have many tricks up my—sleeve?

"Yeah, remember that kunai you snatched from my pouch earlier? I confiscated it. Hope you don't mind."

"Damn it, Minato!" Kusina spat. "Why do you always have to ruin everything?!"

* * *

The hours ticked by at an agonizing rate, and Kushina grew more and more impatient, as Minato was the only one of the two who seemed to be able to get some sleep. It was a combination of the tight ropes around her body and Minato's light snoring that kept her eyes awake; not the fact that she wasn't sleepy.

But even so, there were still too many thoughts that tormented her mind. So many unanswered questions, so many wonderings - it was almost as if Kushina didn't want to go to sleep.

"Minato? Minato, are you awake?"

"Mmhm... What?" Minato mumbled, still half asleep. "What is it?"

"Minato," Kushina said. "I want to ask you something."

Minato gave his eyes a quick rub and rested the back of his head against his palms.

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"What is it like in Konoha?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you're going through the trouble of escorting me all the way there. So I doubt it'll be a short visit..."

Minato sighed and closed his eyes again. "It's a nice place, most of the time anyway. Lots of trees, flowers, meadows, lakes. All that kinda stuff."

"You make it all sound so meaningless," Kushina muttered. "Don't you have any appreciation for nature?"

Minato chuckled and raised his head, staring over at Kushina. "More than you think. But it's difficult to appreciate its true beauty when all you see is dead bodies hanging from the trees, and blood running through the rivers."

Kushina's gaze softened up a bit. "You... You really don't like this war, do you?"

"Not one bit."

"Then why do you fight in it?"

"Same reason as you, I guess."

"Duty?"

"Duty."

"So we're both equally guilty then," Kushina laughed. "You and I."

"Guilty of what?" Minato asked.

"This war."

Minato cocked an eyebrow. "How are we guilty of that? It's the leaders who make the decisions, not us. They are the ones to blame for this war, and they're the ones who keep fueling it."

There it was again. That smile on Kushina's face that Minato had longed for ever since the first time he had seen it. Her look; deeply understanding and with a certain humility that he could not describe with mere words.

"Then ask yourself this," she said. "If we all put down our weapons and refused to listen to our superiors, would there still be a war?"

"You're probably right - there wouldn't. But isn't that a bit naive? To think that everyone would just willingly drop their weapons and go back home."

"It is naive," Kushina smiled. "But it's also my dream."

"Your dream, huh? Sounds like a nice dream to me."

"Don't you have any dreams, Minato?"

Minato cupped his chin for a moment, then he turned his gaze over to Kushina.

"It may sound a bit cliche but... I just want to get everyone in my village to acknowledge me, and protect those I hold dear. Not nearly as altruistic as yourself - but then again, I'm not you."

"I think that's a wonderful dream. Konoha must be really special for you to have so much affection for it."

"Well, it's my home after all. You like Uzushio, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

Minato turned onto his side. "See? It's only natural."

A silence followed, and it lasted longer than Kushina wished for. The words got stuck in her throat; she didn't know how to put them. But she managed to gather herself and disregard her anxiety.

"Minato."

"Yeah?"

"Are there lots of birds in Konoha?"

"I think so. At least during spring."

"It sounds really beautiful from the way you're describing it. I-I wonder if I'll like it..."

Minato couldn't help but notice her nervous tone. Despite the fact that Kushina was quite persistent about concealing her fear, there were times when even she couldn't hold her doubts back.

"You're afraid that they'll lock you up in a cell, aren't you?"

"If I'm honest? Yes, a little..."

"Don't worry, Kushina. I'm sure they'll treat you nicely. You're young, so I can't imagine them exposing you to any unnecessary harm."

He looked up to give Kushina a reassuring smile, but noticed the absence in her eyes, as if she wasn't listening.

"Kushina?"

"I want to go home," she mumbled. "Ever since the day you captured me, all I've ever wanted to do is to go home..."

Her words sent a twinging pain of guilt down in Minato's rib cage, and he forced himself not to break the promise he hade made to Sanada.

"I'm sure you will be able to go home one day, Kushina," he said, eyes twitching with an excruciating pain every time he opened his mouth. "I'm sure you will."

Kushina seemed a bit more heartened. Not necessarily delighted, but at least not on the verge of tears.

"I hope you're right." She paused for a second, then added as an afterthought. "By the way—"

"Hm?"

"You sure you don't wanna tell me the secret behind your technique? I won't tell anyone. Promise."

* * *

**If I could invent my own element, I'd definitely choose Rainbow Style! I mean, how awesome isn't that?! Rainbow Style: Flying Unicorn Attack!****That's it. I'm making an OC story.  
(Rainbow Style: Flying Unicorn Attack would look like a combination of a rainbow unicorn and the shining horse-thingy from the fifth Harry Potter movie. Yes, I've only watched the first and the fifth movie - haven't read the books. Please, don't judge me. PS. Still didn't understand shit lol.)  
**

**I'm sorry that all of the chapters are so short lately... and most of them bad. But I don't know... it just kinda happens, you know? Who am I kidding - it's all bad.**

**Fun fact: On my first day at law schoool, a senior (super hawt guy btw... *drool*) came up to me and asked me if I was lost. He had assumed that I was some school kid who had gotten lost from her class. Meh, half-Swedish, half-Korean - super pale, looks like fifteen... what are you gonna do? xD**

**Crap... should've taken the hint when he checked out my bewbs... oh well, I'll get another chance.**

**18/10: Currently in the process of rewriting Chapter 5-10.**


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